Birthday Wishes

Disclaimer: Nope..i still don't own anything..

A/N: Ok, you can all blame Llewlyn for this! It was her that brought up the subject of me doing a series! So, i decided to do it, and why not add more objects from the 100 kisses challenge as i go along? Here ya go..

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to youuu, Happy Birthday Dear Lyyyydddss, Happy Birthday to youuu!"

Lydia cringed as Beetlejuice finished his birthday serenade. Oh how she hated birthdays, yes she was a year older, supposedly a year wiser, but somehow she'd lost the will to celebrate after her 18th birthday party that had ended in disaster thanks to the poltergeist that now sat and picked the icing off her cake. Most people had forgotten all about Lydia's birthday, but the strange thing was Beetlejuice never had.

She watched him as he ' tried' to secretly hide the present he had supposedly gotten her for her 21st birthday while devouring the icing he had managed to pick off her small birthday cake, that he had zapped from some cake store.

Truth be told, he had earned the icing he ate, he'd decorated her small apartment in large banners that shouted over the top, the pink foam that stuck to her once clean walls sagging a bit with the heat, the cake that lay on her makeshift desk along with the row of candles that adorned the cake icing free and the large card Beetlejuice had given her. She had been somewhat shocked at the home made card he had given her. Deep down she knew he was soft.

With a flick of his long nimble fingers, the candles that were all around the cake lit up, she stared for awhile, entranced by the flames flickering, swaying from side to side in some unknown ritual only the candles knew.

"Hurry up, Lyds! Blow em out and make a wish!"

Lydia glared at Beetlejuice, he really was impatient. Bending down she gulped in as much air as her lungs could hold and blew forecully over the cake, one by one the candles went out with a small Wfffft sound. Her eyes closed, she wished long and hard. After opening her eyes they adjusted to the light and noticed a jade pair of eyes peering at her intently, savouring every moment of her wishing.

"Well, you gonna tell me what ya wished for, babe?"

Lydia shook her head. "If i told you that, my wish wouldn't come true."

Beetlejuice looked disapointed. "I'm not gonna tell anyone."

"It's a rule, Beej. Once you wish after blowing out the candles you have to keep your wish to yourself or else..."

Beetlejuice leaned forward, making sure he didn't crush her present and quirked a curious unswept eyebrow. "Or else what, babe?"

Lydia shrugged. "Or else it won't come true."

Beetlejuice stared at her for several confused seconds and turned his back on her, concentrating on the now bare cake. Just as he was about to start picking apart the cake, Lydia stood up and placed a warm hand on his cool, hard shoulder.

"Enough with the picking, Beej. I have a feeling that if i don't stop you now, there won't be much of a cake left by this evening."

Beetlejuice glanced at her, his pale cheeks turning a soft rose colour. "Yeah..so.., oh yeah before i forget. I got you a little present, seein' as it's yer twenty first an all.."

Lydia sat next to him and shook her head. "You didn't need to, Beej."

Beetlejuice fiddled with the wrapped present for a minute, his eyes glued to the floor.

'Course i did, babe. It's your birthday. Everyone deserves a little somethin' on their birthday."

Something deep inside of her pulled at her heart. It wasn't much of a confession, but she knew Beetlejuice. Knew how he worked, and it was obvious that when he was alive, birthday presents were hard to get. A hug was more than likely the biggest present he got, or a drink from one of his friends, nothing like nowadays, with money and toys, televisions or radios..people were spoilt for choice.

Biting his bottom lip, Beetlejuice handed Lydia her birthday present grudgingly, somehow he was nervous as to what she thought of his present. Wasn't as if it was a car..or a ticket for a weekend break to Paris or whatever. Thought that counts though...wasn't that what the saying went like?

"It's uh...nothing big, it's tiny really...you probably won't even..-"

Lydia quickly unwrapped his gift and opened the blood coloured velvet box, what lay inside took the wind from her lungs. "Oh my God! Beetlejuice! It's beautiful!"

A silver penny lay in a bed of crushed velvet, it gleamed in the light reflecting Lydia's elfin features.

"It's uh...a silver penny. Back in the seventeen hundreds they were used quite a lot, mostly for Maudy Money...which was a religious thing..i think...i came across it an thought you might like it. Hey, it might even bring you good luck!"

Lydia blinked back her tears and grinned at Beetlejuice. "You came across it? You mean you either won it or stole it."

Beetlejuice blinked. "Well..it doesn't really matter how i got it...let's just say i aquired it from some bald headed guy that lived in England..or somewhere like that. I kept it..thought i'd give it to someone special...if a special person came along..."

"And that special person is me?" Lydia swallowed hard and tried not to stare at Beetlejuice. He simply shrugged, his face a mask of indifference. Turning he pointed to her cake and simply raised his unswept eyebrows.

"You gonna slice that thing or what?"

There was always next year for her wish to come true...