A/N: Hey there everyone! Well, this is my first official story, but I hope that fans of the original movie Beetlejuice will see fit to like this as a possible sequel. Technically a sequel was supposed to be made, but wasn't due to conflict, and so that leaves the rest of us free to interpret a continuation in any way we please. I love both the character, the movie, and the TV series which followed, so the information which I'll be writing about is something that I know of.

In regards to storyline and characters, I will be basing everything as a sort of continuation point from where the movie left us off, . I won't give anything away about the plot-the summary does enough of that-but I will say that for anyone who isn't open-minded about couple-pairings and whatnot, you may not like this story.

Wish me luck, and enjoy!

~StarryDreamre~

Chapter 1 - Tests and Laws

Lydia Deetz wasn't exactly what you'd call a "smart" girl, but she was no dumbbell either. Her marks in school were usually at around a B+ average; however recently since graduating from Ms. Hady's School for Girls and moving on to Cohart Secondary School-a co-ed institution-her marks had significantly dropped, thus bringing her to a C average which she was not exactly proud of.

It was September, just the beginning of her first school year as a sixteen-year-old student, but based off of just the first two Math and English tests, she wasn't doing so well. Come the first of October, she would be faced with yet another hardship of having to write a history test-one which, shamefully, she knew nothing about. History was just such a boring subject that she couldn't bother to stay awake. Besides which, her father, wealthy businessman Charles Deetz, always emphasized that it was the future that mattered and not the past, so why should she bother filling her head with details of what was long gone?

When it came to schooling though, her father wasn't the one in charge. Her mother, long dead, obviously couldn't be in charge; and her stepmother, Delia Deetz, honestly couldn't be bothered. Strangely enough, it was her "stand-in parents", Adam and Barbara Maitland who occupied themselves with her education and future success. In all her years as a social outcast, it was only the deceased couple who now resided as ghosts in their house who didn't judge her for who she was or what her preferences were. For this, as well as for the continued support they gave her, Lydia loved them.

Not that she ever said it though; she wasn't one to voice her feelings out loud like that.

Even on the newly crisp autumn day as she biked her way home though, Lydia had to acknowledge that when asked about any developments, she would have to lie about them-again. Recently she had grown more accustomed to lying ever since the midnight seance that her friend Madeleine had invited her to at the graveyard-she thought Adam and Babs might be offended by that considering they were dead and all-and with each new lie she became better and better at being deceitful. She never felt good about it of course, but it was better than getting in trouble for bad grades.

I guess if I study and get an A, maybe I can tell them afterwards, Lydia reasoned, setting her bike aside in the garage and then rushing up the stairs into the old wooden house.

"I'm home!" she called, cascading in through the doorway.

"Hey honey, how was school?" the ever-faithful Babs was busy dusting as usual, whilst Adam sat in the lounge chair reading the local newspaper.

"It was fine."

"Anything new to report?" Adam asked, suddenly attentive. He was Lydia's main at-home tutor and was usually the one to study with her. He felt it odd that she hadn't asked for help yet, and had been meaning to have a talk with his wife about it, but the chance never came up.

Lydia shook her head. "Not really. Oh, wait! There is something actually." Digging through her bag, she pulled out a notice informing the parents/guardians about an upcoming Fall Festival which the school would take part in. Each class would have to contribute to making a float or something that represented the true meaning of autumn and what it stood for, but Lydia knew she would end up just cutting things or gluing something, so it didn't matter.

Apparently it did to the Maitlands though, who immediately got excited. "Oh honey, this is wonderful!" Barbara exclaimed. "I remember taking part in this when I was a little girl. It was so much fun!"

"My class's float took first place that year," Adam reminded her. "We had the best ideas back then! I can't believe they still do this. Hey, you think they'll need any help from the parents?"

Lydia couldn't help it. She gave a sarcastic smile-which was just about the only facial expression she could muster. "What do you mean help? You guys are ghosts, and no one can see you, so what's the point?"

This gave both Adam and Barbara pause. They didn't really take offense in her comment, but now they were starting to sense that something was wrong.

"Lydia, is-"

But Lydia was up the stairs and had slammed her door shut before they could comment anything else. The Maitlands turned to face each other, a similar look of worry on their face.

Something definitely was wrong.

Meanwhile, down in the land of the dead, a certain white-haired, beetle-eating, dirty-jokester was held up in the waiting room for the third time that month, waiting to meet with his lawyer. His head now back to it's original size-no voodoo could keep him down for long-our troublemaker maniac had plenty of other problems on his mind.

Namely, just how he was going to get out of this scrape.

Needless to say, in the time since his encounter with the Maitlands, he had been held up in varying places, all the while trying to keep away from the law-and Juno who was the head of the hunt-and once again had gotten caught and was now in trouble.

Wonder if this guy'll be any good, the bioexorcist wondered as he was called into the office. He's need a really good deal to get out of his latest scrape, and a cheap one too. Out of all the things he couldn't configure for himself, money had to be one of them!

"Howdy there!" he exclaimed as he walked into Mr. Pimplegrove's office. He leaned back in one of the guest leather chairs and immediately put his feet up on the lawyer's desk without any regard for hygiene. Manners were never his strong point anyway.

Mr. Pimplegrove, a man with a skull-head who obviously had no actual pimples, cleared his throat and began sorting through papers. "So then, Mr. Beetle-"

"You don't really wanna say my name now, do ya?" his client tempted. "Cause if you do, I'm outta here and in the human world. I don't think any of y'all want that."

Mr. Pimplegrove cleared his throat again, obviously nervous despite his stoic face. "Well then, sir, I understand you want me to take on your latest case. Let's see here...you are charged with theft of a vehicle, destruction of public property and..." If a skull could've blushed, Mr. Pimplegrove would have at this point.

"Go ahead. You can say it," the white-haired adversary said with a grin.

"And peeping in the ladies' locker room. All very serious offenses, sir, especially when put together! Now then, if you wish me to take your case, I will need to know the full details."

It will forever remain a mystery what the accused was going to say however, because at that point, none other than Juno walked in, cigar in hand and everything. Looking mighty important, she towered over the ghoul sitting in the chair and gave him a decisive glare letting him know what he was in for.

"Why, if it isn't my old employer!" the white-haired criminal chuckled with glee. "How've you been?"

Stalking past him, Juno stood alongside Mr. Pimplegrove on the other side of the desk. "I haven't come here to chat, but to inform you that any help you choose to seek at this point will be utterly useless. I have just spoken with the council and we've decided that this is the last straw. The very last straw, mind you."

"So...I get time off for good behaviour?" the guilty ghoul guessed cheekily.

"As a matter of fact, you might say something like that," Juno replied, sitting in Mr. Pimplegrove's seat which he had readily emptied for her. "We've discussed a suitable punishment for your crime, and it will not be a jail sentence in fact. You've gotten out of too many of those."

The jailbird shrugged. "Not my fault that your bars ain't enough to hold the juice in, baby!"

Sighing, Juno fetched a paper from her breast pocket and began to read it out loud. Only the last part is truly important though: "..and so, by the council's decree, Mr...well, you will be sentenced five thousand hours of good deeds and community service on earth."

Suddenly the already-pale ghoul got paler still, especially once he saw how determined and serious his ex-employer was.

This fearful expression on his face lasted only for a second though before he began to laugh. "Ya know, I think I'm gonna blow this coup. Not really my style, ya know what I'm sayin?"

Just as he was about to leave though, at least five undead guards stepped in his way, blocking his exit. He snarled defensively.

"Nice try, but you're not getting out of this," Juno said. Taking out a metal anklet, she muttered a charm and transfigured it onto the guilty one's ankle. He was now officially on watch. "You just try getting out of that or out of your sentence and you see what happens," she said with a very satisfied smile.

"What did you do to me?" the trapped ghoul asked in an over-dramatic fashion.

"Oh now, it's what you've done to yourself," Juno chuckled. "No matter what form you take or where you are, we'll know. And now, to business. Beetlejuice."

"Eeek! Stop that!"

"Beetlejuice."

"I said stop it, ya hear! One more time and I'll-!"

"Beetlejuice."

And then, whether he liked it or not, he had no choice but to go. Just the echo of his name three times and...

WHOOSH!

A/N: Well, that's the first chapter folks! I hope liked it and if you did, please comment/favourite/follow for more! In the next chapter you'll be reading more about our beetle friend in the human world ;)