Chapter 1

Betelgeuse's POV

- Something is damn wrong - Betelgeuse murmured under his breath.

He was standing in front of the mirror in his living room at the Roadhouse, looking impatiently at one of the few watches on his wrist. It was 17:15 LT (Lydia's Time) and she wasn't back home yet.

The time was a problematic matter between their worlds. It tends to flow differently in Neitherworld, and despite his best intentions, he was too soon or too late for their meetings pretty often. But right now he felt he got it all right from his side.

Betelgeuse glanced one more time through the mirror to make sure she's not already there, but the room was still empty as it was a moment ago. He promised Lydia to not interrupt her during her classes, but he didn't feel like he can wait even more right now.

The ghost touched the cold surface in front of him and the reflection started to change, showing views from mirrors and windows in her school and shop windows all on her regular way back home. He was jumping between anything reflective that could show him Lydia, when he finally spotted her and quickly removed the palms from the mirror to stop the shift. She was walking down the street, and he could see she's in a hurry. The view started to change, as the vision was jumping from one glass surface to another, following black haired girl as she passed by the shops' windows. Betelgeuse breathed out with relief. She was safe, probably someone at school just stopped her on her way home.

He smirked at the thought she rushes back home to see him.

Betelgeuse went closer to the mirror to make himself more visible and crossed his arms.

- Why so fast, Babes? - he called Lydia though the mirror in attempt to stop her.

Lydia's POV

- No, no, no, not again… - Lydia said almost like a whisper to herself, running through the street.

She looked quickly around to be sure no one was close enough to hear anything from her.

- Why is that so difficult? You could just said : "Hey, look, I have things to do, and I'm kinda late." But noooo... - Nodding her head she proceed. - You need to be the nice and patient girl as always, why Lydia, why? - a frustrated tone could be heard in her voice.

Then she felt a vibration inside her pocket. She took her smartphone out of it and glanced at the screen. It was a note: "Meet Beetlejuice - 17:00". Lydia's face just got from worried to serious with her eyebrow raised.

- You've gotta be kiddin' me… - a sigh escaped from her lips and she put her phone inside her pocket.

15 minutes… She was 15 minutes late already, just because a classmate started to talk to her about the end of semester. It was a high possibility that Lydia's face was clearly not interested at all on what the girl had to say, but her willpower was screaming to her to not let the girl talking alone, even if she had a priority already in mind… A priority called Betelgeuse.

With large steps she continued her way home, until Betelgeuse's voice came across her path.

- Oh my god. - he scared her, it wasn't usual, he almost never scared her for real, but her thoughts were so fast and she was so concentrated to arrive home… It was just unexpected.

- Look, I'm sorry to be late, Betelgeuse. - she paused and took a deep breath. Her eyes ran to glance at his - Things happened and… You know. - an embarrassed smile appeared on her face.

- I hope it's not too late, is it? - she frowned hoping she wasn't that late after all.

Betelgeuse's POV

Betelgeuse didn't mean to scare her, but her little jump made him chuckle.

The ghost shaked his head.

- It's fine Babes, it's never too late for this fella - he said, pointing at himself with his knuckles. Even if he tried he simply couldn't be mad at her.

- I was just worried something happened to you and… - he paused and cleared his throat. It wasn't common for him to admit he's worrying, and saying it now out loud felt a bit awkward, but right at the same time, as it was absolutely true. After many troubles they got into together, usually from his own fault, he had his moments of getting over-protective, and that was one of them.

- So ugh, anyway, you're gonna call me so I can walk with you back home oooor you prefer to talk to the window and make everyone think you're crazy? - he grinned wide at the last word.

Betelgeuse never gave a single shit about other's opinions, and he knew Lydia shares his way of thinking in that matter, but the idea of her freaking others out was kinda appealing to him. After all she was spending so much time with him that, even if she didn't like to admit that, he felt she enjoyed pulling a little prank on someone from time to time. Never anything dangerous, and usually as a way to teach someone a lesson and not for pure scare, but Betelgeuse was proud of his influence on her.

The ghost tapped the glass between them in pretended inpatient gesture and grinned even wider.

Lydia's POV

Lydia couldn't contain a tiny smile soon as she heard Betelgeuse saying he was worried about her.

She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it down again.

Raising her eyebrow she chuckled.

- Oh? Should I free you and start to care about what people think… - she put her hand a little up, pretending she was holding something in it - Orrr, I should keep you there and don't care of what people think? - she got her other hand up, and simulated a balance with them.

- Hum, I'm going to stick with the second option. - A wide and teasing smile appeared on her face, and without any warning she proceed to walk her way home.

She always have been a sweet girl, but as she grown up by his side, she developed a characteristic she didn't had before.

Lydia learned to tease him, not like him, but she started to do it more often soon as she turned 18.

Now she was 22, so far Betelgeuse was used about it, or no, she never was totally sure of how he would react or not. But it was indeed funny for her, and she could pretend otherwise.

Betelgeuse's POV

The ghost wasn't really surprised with her response. Lydia was a Mistress of Tease and it was one of the reasons he loved to be around her. Making things more interesting, as he would say.

Betelgeuse grinned wide and chuckled. That smile would freeze the blood in many people, but it never scared her, which was another interesting thing about his breathing friend.

"That's my girl" he thought to himself as she turned and began to walk away. The vision in a mirror started to move, following Lydia and ghost began to walk in midair on his side of the mirror to give an illusion of walking by her side. He stucked hands into pockets of his trousers.

- So what are plans for today? You wanna go on my side and fool around or we stay at yours and turn into couch potatoes while watching some fucked up movie? - as he said that he turned into a big potato with creepy smile. He used to shapeshift a lot when she was younger and she always loved it but as the years went by he felt like she's too mature for such silliness. But it didn't hurt to be silly from time to time, and he was in a really good mood today.

Lydia's POV

- Hum… - Lydia looked up for a second as she thought which one to pick.

The truth was, she loved to be in the Neitherworld, even being there for many years now, she still loved that place… Her love for that world was as intense as it was when she was just a kid.

On the other hand, their adventures in Neitherworld often ended up with them needing to run away from someone, or Betelgeuse screwing things and her, somehow, needing to fix things up. Lydia never cared about it, actually, she enjoyed it very much. Mainly because even if the situation seemed totally screwed and without solution, she was with him after all… For her, when they were together, anything matters anymore.

But, for today, she really needed to chill a little. It was a tough day at her college. Too much photos to revel in red room, she spent all day long there, without even sitting to relax a bit.

- I'm up to chill a little so, my side, couch potatoes and fucked up movie sounds divine to me. - her smile got wide and couldn't contain a giggle when she looked up for him and encounter a giant potato with a creepy smile in a Betelgeuse style.

His smile… Doesn't matter how creepy it looked to others, even for the dead, it was special for her, it always let her day brighter.

Betelgeuse's POV

Potato-juice smiled even wider at her giggle, he really loved making her happy.

- Ok then, you show the way. - he said turning back to his regular shape. They proceed to walk and now he could really say she's tired. Despite straight back and chin up high, the true evil queen walk as he was calling it, her gaze was tired and the steps weren't as confident as usual. He felt an urge to lift her up in his arms and drag all the way home, but in this case it wasn't possible. Betelgeuse did that sometimes when she was falling asleep on a couch during their movie marathons. She wasn't heavy at all to him and he really enjoyed those little moments when they could get so close. But then no one was watching, as at that moment, so he just sighed and proceed to follow her home.

Lydia's POV

With large steps they got to her place in a minute. Lydia was living alone for 3 years now, and no one, even Betelgeuse could imagine how happy she was about it. Finally she could see him at her place any time she wanted, without getting worried about anyone.

Running to her mirror, she said the three magic words.

- Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, BETELGEUSE! - a puff sound echoes at her apartment, and his reflection behind the mirror disappeared.