Even werewolves fall in love (Fangface fan-fiction)

[hobbyfan]

Preamble: After reading Musicman93's treatment for a revival of Joe Ruby & Ken Spears' 1978-80 Fangface series, I was inspired to turn to ol' Fangs for my next story. Only in this case, in keeping with the usual format, we'll keep things a little more, ah, real.

All characters in the story, save for original characters created by ye scribe, are copyright Ruby-Spears Productions/Warner Bros..
===================================
Prologue:

Setting: May 1985, five years after the series ended.

It was supposed to be the happiest of days for Ben "Biff" Barker and Kim Summers. Childhood sweethearts who had graduated high school & college together, and spent their off-time solving mysteries with their friends, Patrick "Pugs" Gorcey and Sherman "Fangs" Fangsworth, whose lycantropic alter-ego, Fangface, was the gang's not-so-secret weapon on cases. Right before graduation, Biff had popped the question to Kim, and now, a year later, they were about to be married. Except for one small detail.........

Biff had asked Fangs to be his best man, despite Fangs' lycantropy. Sherman had moved to suburban Arizona with his nephew, Shane, formerly known as Fangpuss. Shane, now approaching his sixth birthday, had been afflicted with lycantropy since birth, and his parents decided to leave him with his uncle Sherman, who enrolled him in school. Essentially and effectively retired from crimefighting, Sherman & Shane would lock themselves away at night 3 nights a month under the full moon. Sherm had begun dating his psychologist, Dr. Tamara Clayton, who was 10 years his senior. Tamara was interested in the study of lycantropy, and offered to help Sherman address his condition. Through mental conditioning, Sherm learned to break the mental blocks that triggered his change any time he saw a picture of a full moon, something that normally wouldn't happen to a werewolf. Getting a better understanding of werewolf lore enabled Sherman to create an underground bunker where he & Shane would hide out under the full moon.

Two months prior to the wedding, Sherman had gotten his invitation, and gained the courage to ask Tamara to be his date. Because it was a week before the full moon, he was sure Shane would be safe with a babysitter.
==================================
"I'm telling ya, Biff, yer makin' a mistake invitifying Sherman to be here."

Pugs was helping Biff with his bow-tie three hours before the wedding. Still distrustful of Fangface after all this time, he was afraid if the werewolf did appear, he'd have to run for cover.

"Sherm called a half-hour ago.", Biff said. "He and Tamara are stuck in traffic en route to the church."

"How can that idiot go anywhere when all he needs to do is see a picture of the moon, and Fangface shows up?"

"Not anymore. Sherm said Tamara helped him break that mental barrier."

"I'll believe it when I see it."
==================================
Sherman finally made it with a half-hour to spare, and introduced Tamara to Pugs & Biff. Shane was left with a sitter, and so he wouldn't be staying for the reception.

It looked as though the wedding would go without a hitch. But just before Reverend Marcus Chandler could declare Biff & Kim married, the stained glass windows of the church broke all at once, and a wild pack of coyotes crashed through the church.

"Dear God in Heaven!", Chandler exclaimed. "Is nothing sacred anymore?"

"Of all the times where we need Fangface, and we can't summon him!", Kim thought to herself.

"Do you have any holy water, reverend?", Sherman asked.

"Of course, lad. But one vial won't be enough."

"Maybe not, but it's the only chance we've got!"

Sherman grasped the glass bottle in his hand, and locked eyes on his target, the pack leader, whose red eyes meant he wasn't a coyote at all----and he was hovering over Tamara!

"Back off, hairy scary!", he exclaimed. "Have a drink on me!"

Sherman hurled the stained glass bottle, and nailed the creature square in the eyes. The contents made the coyote burn, forcing it to run, leading the pack out of the church. Once the coyotes were gone, the detectives surveyed the damage. Of all the parishoners, only Tamara had been wounded. Her throat had been cut.

"You're a hero, Fangs!", Kim exclaimed, impulsively hugging her friend. "But...how did you know what to do?"

"The pack leader wasn't a coyote, Kim.", Sherman explained. "He was a werewolf."

Tamara was rushed to the hospital. Luckily for her, she hadn't lost too much blood. The scratches, though, on her arms gave Sherman cause for concern. And, then, he noticed the same thing------on Kim.

"You need to have that looked at, Kim.", he said.

"You don't suppose.......!"

"We can't take chances, honey.", Biff replied. "Rev. Chandler is on his way here to finish the ceremony. We'll have the reception here, too, if need be."

The ceremony was completed in the community room of the hospital the next day. Pugs was beside himself with anger.

"How could this possibly happen?", he wondered.

"Maybe Tamara & I shouldn't have come.", Sherman mused. "I may have saved the day, but it's my fault those coyotes and the werewolf were even here."

"A werewolf wearing the form of a coyote to lead the pack during the day.", Biff noted. "What could it possibly have wanted in broad daylight?"

Six nights later, Biff got his answer. He & Kim went on a double date with Sherman and Tamara in the Arizona desert, and Sherman had suggested that, for safety's sake, the women would be kept in the bunker with him & Shane.

"I hate to sound like Pugs this one time.", Biff said, "But you are out of your mind, Sherman."

"Am I? The full moon rises tonight. If my hunch is right, our fair ladies will have a new look that neither one should have!"

Reluctantly, Biff agreed to have the girls spend the night in the bunker with Sherman & Shane.

"Are you really certain about this, Sherm, darling?", Tamara asked.

"Positive, babe. It's for our own good."

Just after 7 pm local time, the moon rose. Even though they weren't directly exposed to the moonlight, Sherman & Shane began to change. Shane's cage began to rattle as Fangpuss took control, wanting to escape, but, as usual, to no avail. Fangface looked to his left, then his right, to see Kim & Tamara make their first changes, as they, too, were now werewolves. Biff & Pugs could hear the chorus howling underground.

"I can't believe it!", Pugs exclaimed. "Fangs was right! The girls have been wereified!"

"Dear God.", Biff thought. "My wife is a werewolf. What do I do now?"
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What indeed?

 

[MusicMan93]

Not bad, it was nice that you wrote what a lot of fans of the original cartoon would consider a continuation. But when I view cartoons from the 1970's (the bad ones especially) I always find things that can be experimented with, use different genres, change characters or drastically change to differentiate yourself from the old source material.

But when you said my idea was "meh" it did get me thinking of an old draft I once wrote where The Fangsworth family and Sherman were retained but with the latter having the name Robert and having Fangface as a winged-werewolf creature he could transform into at will with the "Fangsworth Amulet" that was powered by moonlight with Kim, Jeff, Adam, Alice and Sharon still in the story with their new personalities intact. I did say that the one I posted was the "first draft", so I might take your advice and take it down a slight notch.

 

[hobbyfan]

To each their own.

A lot of what I do are speculative "continuations", especially if a series hadn't been revived, which is the case with Fangface. Just wait until chapter 2 comes out next week.

 

[MusicMan93]

Will do. This is pretty good, can't wait until chapter 2.

 

[hobbyfan]

Chapter 2:

The next morning, Biff went downstairs to the bunker to release Sherm, Shane, and the girls. To his surprise, the women were now dressed in bathrobes, their tattered clothes strewn on the floor.

"Being in college improved Sherman's mind.", Kim said. "He designed the bunker when he & Shane moved here, and had spare clothes available for times like this."

"And to think he used to be so scared when we were on a case.", Biff replied.

"Not anymore.", Sherm replied as he led Shane out of his cage. "You might say I was preparing myself for any eventuality once I moved out here. Usually, the desert is peaceful & serene, but with those coyotes on the loose, it isn't."

"The bunker is sound-proof, but when we go upstairs, you'll see why Sherm insisted on Kim & I being down there with him.", Tamara added.

A few minutes later, Pugs was ranting about the security alarms.

"The alarms have been jangling since before sunrise.", he said as Sherm shut off the alarm. A quick check of the area showed some fresh coyote tracks. And one of a werewolf.

"The pack leader marked his territory when he attacked Tamara.", Sherm said. "Somehow, he also left his mark on Kim. He came here to claim his brides last night, and found nothing."

"The guest rooms are also sound-proofed, aren't they?", Biff asked.

"Yes. I can't take any chances."

Kim took pictures of the tracks with a camera she brought with her. She would spend two more nights in the bunker, locked up for her own sake, but she was bound and determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
===========================
Three days later, Sherman and the girls were at Arizona State after classes, and went over Sherm & Tamara's notes on werewolves. They also found a note, unsigned, left in Tamara's folder, which read:

"When the wolf howls for its mate, you will come as called. This time, you cannot resist."

"What is that supposed to mean?", Kim asked.

"The pack leader wants Tamara for himself.", Sherm replied. "Seems to me like tonight is as good any for the next phase in our experiment."

"It will have to be a joint experiment, my love.", Tamara replied. "He won't be expecting the new, improved Fangface to make his public debut, alongside his new partner."

"You sure about this, honey?"

"It's me he wants, but he's going to have to fight to get me."

"Let's not forget, I've been turned into a werewolf, too.", Kim put in. "I want in on this."
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Later that same night, the phone rang around 10 pm. Pugs picked up the line, and heard the wolf's mating call, then hung up.

"Crazy crank caller.", he snapped. "How do werewolves know how to dialify a phone?"

"They can if they retain the memories of their alter-egos.", Tamara replied. Pugs turned, and was in shock to find Kim, Sherm, & Tamara once more in their werewolf forms. More than that, Fangface looked more like a traditional werewolf.

"Scared, Pugs, ol' pal?", he asked.

"Ohmigod.", Pugs replied. "Sherm's mind is in Fangface's body? This is crazy!"

"Maybe not.", Biff put in. "In Stevenson's story, Mr. Hyde was a separate personality independent of Dr. Jekyll. To that end, as Sherman matured mentally, so did Fangface."

"That's a good way of putting it, Biff.", Fangface replied. "Hope you don't mind my borrowing Kimmie for a few hours on this job."

"We're following you three from a safe distance. We can't afford to lose any of you."

"Agreed. For my next trick, you'll learn that a werewolf can drive a car, too."

Fangface, Kim, & Tamara climbed into Sherm's jeep, and drove out into the desert. Biff & Pugs followed in their rental car.

"I still can't believe it.", Pugs said. "Fangface has gotten smartified, but how did he change his face?"

"I think he'll tell us when this is all over.", Biff replied.

The trail led to the abandoned Great Southwest Zoo, which closed a couple of years earlier. It was Kim who spotted the pack.

"They're waiting for us!", she cried, her voice partially gutteral.

"Relax, Kimmie. Biff & Pugs are behind us, remember?", Fangface cautioned.

But as Kim looked back, three coyotes pounced on the rental car, trying to tear their way in. Fangface picked up the disturbance in his rear-view mirror.

"Hang on! This is where we separate the men from the wolves!", he called.

The jeep u-turned, and Fangface charged at the coyotes. Tamara leaped out and tackled one of the coyotes. Stunned by the surprise assault, the remaining coyotes fled, leaving their brother behind as Fangface pulled a pistol from the glove compartment of the jeep. Tamara headed back to the jeep as Fangface pumped two bullets into the heart of the coyote, killing it instantly.

"What was that for, furbrain?", Pugs asked.

"Not taking any chances, Pugs.", Fangface replied, handing the pistol to Biff. "There's still four more bullets, just in case."

"Just in case of what?", Pugs asked.

"He means if things get out of hand, we have to kill him, Kim, & Tamara.", Biff replied. "That's the last thing I'd want to do, as these are silver bullets."

Biff glanced at the dead coyote, lying in a pool of its own blood from the bullets.

"You didn't scratch it, did you?", Kim asked Tamara.

"No. I didn't dare. We're trying to cure ourselves of this, but I don't want anyone or anything else to suffer."

But, then, the pack leader appeared as the coyotes returned.

"I don't know how you could possibly ignore my call, but now, my dears, you've made this easy for me.", he said.

"Think again, Casanova!", Fangface snapped. "If you want them, you'll have to go through me! Fight to the finish!"

"He really is crazy.", Pugs whispered to Biff.

"Maybe, but crazy like a fox. He's up to something."
==============================
An older, wiser, braver Fangface, stepping up to protect his friends and defending the honor of Kim & Tamara? Yep. What other surprises does he have, and will we find out who leads the coyote-werewolf pack? We'll see in chapter 3.

 

[hobbyfan]

Chapter 3:

The pack leader stood in defiance, urging Fangface to come to him to begin the fight. However, Fangface stood his ground, forcing the enemy to make the first move. The leader lunged, but Fangface darted out of the way, sending the mutant headlong into the side of the jeep. With a mix of martial arts and common fighting styles, Sherman saw to it that Fangface could confuse his foe, until the leader made one more lunge, only for Fangface to press him overhead, and hurl him into a nearby tree. Falling unconscious, the pack leader slowly began to change until, finally, he was revealed as....

"Professor Miles Hensley!", Tamara cried. "He'd been after my research in lycantropy for some time, but I don't understand why."

Fangface reverted to Sherman, and had Biff help him tie up Hensley, who awoke to find himself at the sheriff's office. As it turned out, the sheriff had evidence linking Hensley to the coyote attacks in the area.

"We traced the coyotes back to your farm, Professor.", Deputy Rex Grange said. "We had them tested, and, luckily, not all of them have been afflicted with the werewolf curse."

"You don't understand, deputy. It's survival of the fittest!", Hensley protested. "Dr. Clayton rejected me, and I don't take kindly to being told, 'no'. So, I made it clear she was to be my mate, instead of being with that pathetic, blubbery wolfman. And she rejected me again!"

"Maybe it's because she'd already chosen her mate.", Grange replied. "Sometimes, Professor, you can't fight or change fate."

"Oh, no? Think again, deputy!!"

Hensley concentrated. With his mind clear, he could morph back into his werewolf persona, and lunged at Grange. However, the deputy pumped three bullets into the deranged scientist, and killed him on the spot. The sound of gunfire brought Biff & Kim, along with Sherman, to the sheriff's office.

"He's gone, kids.", Grange said. "Those silver bullets you supplied do work."

"But what happens now?", Biff asked. "When the full moon comes, my wife will be a werewolf again."

"Don't be too sure of that, old friend.", Sherman replied. "I think that with Hensley dead, Kim & Tamara will be cured."
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Three weeks later, Biff tested Sherman's theory. He & Kim had taken on the case of locating a missing park ranger in the Sierra mountains. It was the first night of the full moon, and Biff was concerned about Kim possibly changing while on stakeout. He should've been more concerned about his own safety.

The couple found what appeared to be an abandoned bear cave, with the remains of the missing ranger, Elliot Harper, inside. He'd been dead for four days, and now, the bear that had slain him had returned home. Angered by the presence of more uninvited guests, he lunged at Kim, but Biff pushed her out of the way, and into the bright moonlight. However, Kim couldn't change, and was helpless to stop the bear from slashing Biff to ribbons. That is, until Pugs showed up with a shotgun.

"Back off, grizzie. You've got enough food on the table!", he cried as he shot the bear.

Pugs & Kim rushed Biff to the hospital. There, Kim called Sherman.

"You were right! I've been cured!", she squealed.

"But that's not why you called, is it, Kim?", Sherm asked.

"No! Biff's been attacked by a bear!"

"I'm on my way to meet you."
=========================
A short while later, Sherm met Kim & Pugs at the hospital.

"I still can't believe you've gotten smartified.", Pugs snapped. "Anyway, Biff just came out of surgery. They say he'll be fine."

"How's Tamara?", Kim asked.

"She too has been cured.", Sherm confirmed.

"But how did you figure it out, Einstein?", Pugs asked.

"Easy, really. Hensley's lycantropy was artificial, and therefore, he had to create some sort of serum to turn the girls into werewolves. The serum was linked to Hensley himself, hence no antidote. Once Hensley died, his attempt to control Kim & Tamara came to an end, as the scratches healed on their own."

"Sherm's right.", Kim said, as she lifted the sleeve of her sweater, revealing where she'd been scratched. "No scars."
===========================
The team met again over the holidays, where Sherm revealed he & Tamara were now engaged to be married.

"There's room for just one werewolf in our family, and Sherm can't take the chance on passing his affliction on to our children, so we're going to adopt.", Tamara said.

"But what about Shane?", Pugs asked.

"He & I are still locked up 3 nights a month.", Sherm said. "It's the only way things will work out."

"Makes sense.", Biff replied. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Sherm. College really has changed you for the better."

"But how were you able to remold Fangface's form?", Kim asked. "Standing side by side with him, I could see he'd become a stud."

"Mind over matter, Kimmie.", Sherm said, blushing. "As Fangface, I looked blubbery and out of shape, so I figured, if I can picture in my mind a werewolf with a six pack of abs, that would be the new Fangface. Tamara seems to like it, too."

"You said you & Tamara are adoptifying.", Pugs said. "What if you end up infecting her, and she becomes a werewolf again?"

"I have plenty of protection for that, Pugs.", Sherm said, chuckling. "She just has to make sure we're not making love under a full moon."

"Something tells me you'll be just fine.", Kim said.
==========================
The end.