Chapter 2
"I was fucking free," screamed Beetlejuice throwing a pile of meaningless papers across Juno's office as she watched on in silence.
"You did this, Junes," said Beetlejuice when he was done doing that looking into her eyes refusing to be fooled by the pity in them. Juno stared right back into his eyes taking in all she saw. She had known how much he had wanted his freedom, seen how hard he had worked over the years to get it, and now he had thought he had it. But still it was like all the times before; just out of reach. Beetlejuice didn't know how to feel about that, she could see that in his eyes, his grief, his anger, but most of all his longing was still there despite all that had happened. She couldn't help thinking that she had never seen such emotion in his eyes before.
"I was free, Junes, how, why did you have to do this?" whispered Beetlejuice his entire form dejected. Like a sad child, he moved back to his chair slumping into it his eyes refusing to look at her now. It almost made Juno feel sorry for him, but only almost.
"It was a loophole, Juice, a loophole I'm surprised you missed. You're usually so good about spotting them. It has always been there and I guess this time you missed it…in your excitement," said Juno part of her remembering when she had taught him all the tools of the trade back when he was still her assistant offering him a cigarette as she did so.
He took another and lighting it the ghost stared at the floor.
"I'll never be free…will I? It's like you said, Junes, I've trapped myself even more," whispered Beetlejuice holding the smoke of his cigarette in longer then he needed to before simply letting the stick burn between his fingers.
"I'm afraid so. Juice…sad…I was actually kind of rooting for you this time. But thankfully not all is lost you aren't completely trapped after all. If you handle things the right way you might have some freedom…your bride might be lenient. But you must handle this delicately," said Juno already trying to explain his situation to him though as she moved around her desk she could she he wasn't listening.
"This will be your prison, Juice," whispered Juno approaching something covered in a sheet. Beetlejuice watched as she removed the sheet revealing a floor length mirror and turning back in his direction she pointed at it.
"Lydia Deetz will have total control over you. Only she will be able to let you in or out doing the same thing anyone has always done. She must simply say your name three times and your released then again and your imprisoned again. If you handle her correctly she might not want to put you back once she releases you," whispered Juno watching him closely as he finally stood. She didn't know what he was thinking as he stared at his own reflection in the mirror coming closer and closer to the prison. In that moment, she wished she did. Suddenly before she could stop him Beetlejuice kicked the glass meaning to smash it, but things did not go as planned. Beetlejuice quickly learned that that was a very bad idea. He found himself flung across Juno's office landing hard on his back a pile of papers fluttering around him. It was like a beam of light had hit him, something that protected that mirror because looking up from his landing place Beetlejuice saw the mirror still completely intact. He hadn't even cracked it.
"I wouldn't try that again, Juice, the elder ones made this especially for you. You can't break it meaning you will never be able to break out. Only Lydia can smash it, but for your sake I hope she doesn't. If your still in there when she does you are trapped forever with no way out. Only if she smashes it and you're outside the mirror does its claim on you stop," explained Juno seeming to hate the idea of this as much as he did. She had that same look of pity in her eyes as she watched him make it to his feet and for the first time in a long-time Beetlejuice thought for a moment she might still be his friend. But the look in her eyes changed quicker then he thought possible in that moment.
"What if something were to happen to her?" growled Beetlejuice eyeing the glass.
"Don't you hurt that girl. This is not her fault, it's yours, you forced her into this, and besides your fate will be much the same. If she dies you will be in much the same situation as you were before you married her. Maybe…you should consider being nice to your new bride, Juice, she might not keep you imprisoned," snapped Juno her stare synching in that moment as with a snap of her fingers he found himself in the mirror.
"You did this to yourself, Juice, but nonetheless…I'm still sorry about it," said Juno seeming to be almost close to tears before she too disappeared. In that moment, Beetlejuice found himself in utter darkness, he found himself staring into nothingness, and for the first time he found himself scared. He was trapped. He began to walk in the darkness hoping to find some way out. He looked everywhere, but Juno was true to her word. The darkness didn't end and the more he realized that the more scared he began to feel. Just as he was about to give up Beetlejuice saw it. His last ray of hope. It appeared as just a sliver at first, he didn't know what it was as he approached it, but then he realized it was a light. But the closer he got that's when Beetlejuice realized what he had found. He became overjoyed to discover it was a window, but to where he had no idea. All he knew was he hoped it would lead him to a way out of there. And finally standing before it, Beetlejuice found it too was a mirror, a mirror leading into what appeared to be somebodies' bedroom.
Placing his hand on the glass, Beetlejuice found it was just as Juno had said, he was trapped, but leaning against the glass he peered out. The room was silent, a tiny stream of light coming through a crack in the curtains, and that's when he saw her. His bride, Lydia Deetz, this was her room obviously, and when he saw her Beetlejuice saw immediately that she was sleeping. She laid there, looking so peaceful in her bed, he didn't know why, but his eyes were drawn to her. There was something about her he just couldn't place. Maybe it was just that now she was his wife now or that she was his captor. He didn't know, but Beetlejuice found he couldn't stop looking at her. And he couldn't help thinking that even when he had conned her into marrying him he had never really taken the time to really look her over. Lydia Deetz as it turned out wasn't all bad. She was nearly as pale as him, her skin ghostly standing out against the black of her pillow. All while her raven hair blended in perfectly as it slightly hid her face from him. It made a thought pop into his head that he once again didn't understand.
Never had he found himself so compelled to just stare at someone. Before it had been out of lust, but he knew just by the feeling in his gut that this was different. Beetlejuice didn't know why, but it was different. He didn't know what this was. Beetlejuice couldn't help thinking that she was beautiful, maybe, the most beautiful chick he'd ever seen, but he couldn't be sure about that. But what he did know was she was beautifully different. He liked that. It was as he watched her that she awoke, her eyes opened revealing a sparkly brown that reminded him of the very darkness that he stood in, but he noticed that they were dulled for reasons unknown to him.
"Stupid sun," breathed Lydia sitting up in bed only to have the light streaming through the curtains blind her not noticing Beetlejuice as she got up to close them fully with a stretch. Beetlejuice was still watching her as she did so. He admired her, the way she moved with anyone's simple early morning sleepiness, but also with her own natural grace. But that wasn't all he noticed. He also quickly took notice that she was dressed in nothing, but an overly large black T-shirt.
"If she dresses like that all the time, I might get used to having her around," thought Beetlejuice his eyes running over the long length of her bare legs. And as he peered out at her he desperately wanted to know what else was under that shirt. He didn't have to wait long to find out. Lydia rifled through her closet before finally removing an outfit and of course it was black.
"This should do," whispered Lydia as she laid the clothes across her bed removing the shirt quickly then leaving her before him in only panties.
She stood there in only her panties mindless to the eyes watching her. And Beetlejuice did watch her. He stood there leaning lecherously against the glass of the window taking all of her in. God, if he didn't like what he saw. But that wasn't the only thought running through his mind; he wanted to ignore the others because if he was honest with himself he didn't understand anything going through his head. Beetlejuice had never looked at girls with anything in mind, but fucking. He fucked them and used them and when he was done he threw them aside in search of his next lay. But he didn't see himself doing that here. He couldn't imagine doing that to this girl and he didn't understand why. It couldn't be just because she was his wife. While he wouldn't deny that he wanted to plow her into her bed that was not all his eyes saw. Again, he thought how beautiful she was, how soft her alabaster skin looked, he noticed the tiny birth mark on her shoulder, and Beetlejuice even surprised himself when he thought about leaving his own mark right next to it. But that was all blown from his mind when finding herself dressed once more, Lydia turned towards her mirror seeing him in its reflection the second she did.
Lydia at first didn't know how to react. She didn't know what she was seeing, he was supposed to be in that waiting room, but she swore she was seeing him in her bedroom mirror. She was sure it was all an allusion, but opening and closing her eyes Lydia shook her head. She needed to be sure.
"You're not real," whispered Lydia bringing a hand to her arm to pinch herself her eyes closed tight, but opening them again nothing had changed.
"Oh, yes I am, babes," whispered Beetlejuice in response rapping his knuckles on the glass before giving her a wave. Lydia became stock still in that moment as she just stared at him. She didn't even blink, she couldn't, and the longer she stared the more she realized that he was really there. And when she realized that she knew there was only one thing she could do. Lydia immediately let out a scream that could have shattered the glass he was trapped behind backing up until her back hit the wall. A second after her scream pierced the air, Adam then Barbara came running through her door, and coming to stand in front of Lydia they blocked her from the trapped ghost's view.
"Lydia? Are you alright…we heard you scream. What's happened…what's wrong?" said both ghosts at the same time. They were both nearly in hysterics. They didn't know what was going on, but after last night they were determined that nothing else would hurt their girl. But Lydia didn't respond, she stared through them still seeing the ghost who was her husband inside her vanity mirror.
"Lydia?" whispered Adam touching her cheek with his hand making her flinch, but still she didn't look at him.
"He's in the mirror," whispered Lydia her arm raising their gaze following it to the mirror. When they did, Barbara screamed nearly as loud as Lydia had before. There, peering out at them through the glass was Beetlejuice.