This is intended to run with the "Beetlejuice Afterlife" series of mine, which includes two stories thus far: "A New Beginning" and "Dark Shadows".

The grouping this story belongs to is the "Key Saga", wherein there are several stories documenting some events that took place while my OC's, Kyle and Endri, were traveling Earth, looking for the Worm Gate Keys to take to the Neitherworld. This story and any other subsequent stories in the Key Saga all are set before the events that occur in "A New Beginning".

There is not even a mention of Beetlejuice or Lydia in this story! Not your cup of tea? Don't drink it.

— Key Saga —
First of Many

Spencers13 / Feb 24, 2006
Beta Reader – Rachel
PG-13
TimeBase : Key Saga circa July, 1993; Episode 03

They were close. So close.

The KLD—Key Locator Device, or 'Kold' beacon—was blipping ceaselessly, a constant, jubilant reminder of how close they were.

They were filthy from head to toe from digging in the moist dirt, but neither of the two men noticed nor cared. They only saw their goal which was approaching rapidly with each shovelful of dirt carelessly tossed out of the four foot deep hole in which they stood. The bright mid-day sunshine, the surrounding trees, the excited chatter of distant birds all went unnoticed as they fervently dug toward their goal.

Clink!

Kyle looked up at Endri, blue eyes wild with discovery and surprise. His long-haired blonde partner returned the look, though it was covered with black sunglasses. Even so, Kyle understood how thrilled his partner must have been feeling. How else would the man have felt after searching for years for a second key, only to find it now—with Kyle's help, of course.

Endri flew to his hands and knees and dug into the dirt after his companion removed the shovel's obstruction. Only a moment later, he uncovered a spherical object about five or six inches in diameter.

"That's it! That's it!" Kyle shouted, throwing his shovel out of the hole and climbing up after it. He ran to their pile of belongings and yanked a canteen from inside one of their backpacks.

Endri's hands shook as his partner returned at a dead run and uncapped the canteen. He dumped the water over the sphere in Endri's hands while the man worked frantically to wash away the dirt encrusting it. Bit by bit, the object was revealed to them until it was rinsed clean. Sunlight glinted off the shiny metallic pieces embedded into solid stone. Ancient writings decorated a ring that encircled the object at its center, made from both grey metal and grey stone. The domed brown stone ends were smooth and unmarked except for one carving at each end, displaying the object's significance. Now that it was cleaned of a thick layer of dirt, it was slightly smaller, four inches wide and five long. Not a very big thing for something so important to the two men that found it.

"It's the Fire Key," Endri whispered, turning the object in his fingers.

Kyle stared in awe, almost afraid to reach out and touch it himself. "There really are more than the one you had. And if they really do exist…then those gates really do exist…and if those gates really exist…"

"Then the Neitherworld exists. Yes." Endri looked up at his partner, smirking.

"I…I never really did believe…it was so hard to believe something so fantastic…"

"Then why did you agree to come with me? Why do all this if you didn't believe it could be done?"

Kyle broke his stare from the key and lifted his eyes to his partner's glasses. His expression was hard to read, jumbled with fascination, surprise, and disbelief. "Because I had nothing else."

Endri nodded his understanding of that simple answer. With nothing left of the man's life, no where to go or be, no one to keep him in one place, Kyle had nothing to lose when he agreed to become Endri's partner and travel the world looking for something they had just now found. Nothing to lose…and now everything to gain.

Endri reached out and gently took his partner's wrist, twisting it until the man's hand was palm up. In it, he placed their new discovery, grinning broadly at the man's blatant amazement for so small an object. Kyle's eyes were riveted as the weight of the key rested into his palm. It was heavier than expected, maybe two pounds or so, and it was real…so, so real. Everything that had been clouded with uncertainty before was now clear as crystal. They could do this. They were doing this.

"Open it," Endri whispered, his grin not fading.

Kyle didn't look up, only continued staring at the roundish key in his hand. With a swallow, he worked both hands to either end and gripped it firmly. He was shaking, both with the recent stirrings of emotions and with the strain to twist the two ends of the key in opposite directions. The grey metal grated along itself as the two ends lined up, just as the grey stone scraped as it lined up. And when metal faced metal and stone faced stone, the key separated and sprung open, revealing the inner core floating between the two hollow ends, suspended by nothing but air.

Kyle shook his head, his hands refusing to stop trembling. "This technology…is so advanced…but so p-primitive…." He carefully released one end and reached for the spherical core, barely brushing his fingertips against it. It too was composed of grey stone and metal, seemingly patched together at random, but it all seemed to serve a higher function…whatever that was. "My God, Endri…what are we doing?"

The blonde reached out and took the key from his partner, closing it up and holding it between his hands protectively. "What needs to be done," he said coldly, black stare bringing Kyle back to reality.

He nodded. "Right. Sorry, I—"

"Don't worry about it." Endri climbed out of hole and futilely tried to dust himself off.

Kyle chuckled at the sight. "How about we head back to the hotel and take some showers? All that digging, my sore muscles could use the heat." He rubbed at his shoulder in illustration.

Endri smirked. "Of course." His partner turned with a grin and made to walk over to their belongings, but he reached out and stopped the man with a hand to his arm. "Kyle…" Blue eyes turned to regard him with question. Endri fumbled for something to say, dropping his gaze to the grass at their feet to make speaking easier. "I…couldn't have made it this far without your assistance.… Thank you." He felt a gentle pat on his shoulder and looked up.

Kyle was smiling at him with warmth. "De nada." Then he turned and began packing up their things for the walk back to their rent-a-car. "How about dinner?" he was saying. "Whatever you want. My treat."

"No…I want to treat this time."

Kyle shrugged but didn't turn from his work. "Whatever you want. Just give me a hot country meal and a comfy seat to eat it in."

Endri smirked at his back. "Anything you desire."

Once their things were packed and they were walking along though the woods back to their car, more of the weight of the situation rested on Kyle, but it was uplifting at the same time. Though they found one key so far, two if they counted the one Endri already had, they still had a long way to go to collect all six. But that didn't really matter much, so long as each time would be just as exciting as the first. And, Kyle was certain, it would be.