Ohmygawd, who's that? Is... is that? It is!

It's TFP with another Betelgeuse fic!

So if you haven't read my series, DO NOT READ THIS FIC. This takes place about a week after the final battle. The Neitherworldians are still cleaning up both worlds, and Lydia is still recovering.

Please enjoy, and leave me a review!

"They look like you… except… tiny and… squishy… -er."

Lydia chuckled weakly, tracing the shell of Spieder's ear as he nursed. Krickette gurgled happily as she lay next to Lydia, wriggling in the swaddling blanket Ma Geuse had wrapped around her before she'd gone to talk to Gnat. "I think they're going to have your ears though. Too pointy to be mine."

Betelgeuse hovered, literally, at her bedside. He was sitting cross-legged in mid-air, his hands on his knees, leaning towards his wife as she nursed his son.

It was still so strange… His son… his daughter. Even his wife…

It wasn't just Lydia that was still torn up from the battle. Ghosts that had been absorbed were still popping up all over the remains of the Neitherworld. Sandworms were still running rampant in some parts of the kingdom. Patrols were being sent out to wipe the memories of Breathers that had witnessed Tobias's rampage and repair the holes that Tobias and Ahriman had torn in the wall between the two worlds.

And angry, raw-red patch of skin was still visible on her chest from where Betel had pumped her full of his juice to force her heart to continue working…

The Roadhouse was still in ruins. Most of that street, for that matter, was.

Bee and Gnat had put them up. Lydia was so fragile at the moment, Juno, Vince, and Betel worried that a trip between dimensions would only make it worse. There were the babies to consider as well…

They seemed perfectly fine, much to everyone's collective relief.

Spieder fussed at her breast, and with a tired sigh, Lydia pulled him away just enough to lower her shirt before snuggling the infant back against her chest. "Have they found those 'gods' yet?" She asked.

Betelgeuse shook his head as he drifted a little to the side, staring intently down at his daughter as she fussed and waved her tiny, sock-covered fists. "I wasn't absorbin'em, Lyds. I don' think they'll be comin' back."

Lydia watched him shift his gaze to Spieder. It had been nearly a week since everything had happened. A week since the twins had been born. "Beej?"

The poltergeist shifted closer, his expression switching rapidly from curious to concern. "What? Something wrong? Are you in pain? A-"

"Beej-" She lifted an exhausted hand and gripped his knee. "I'm alright. I was just going to say: Have you even held them yet?" Her free hand drifted down to let Krickette grab onto her fingers. "I haven't seen you even try to touch them."

Betelgeuse visibly tensed, and to Lydia's amazement, he began to drift backwards. "I uh…" He scratched the back of his neck as he uncrossed his legs, and when his feet touched the ground, he started walking backwards. "I don't… think that's a good idea. I mean…" He saw Lydia's confused, heartbroken expression and his hands shot up before him defensively. "It ain't… that I don't wanna… But… what if… what if they don't like me? Or…" He grimaced. "Or they're… afraid of me?"

He felt a mixture of annoyance and relief as she let out a weak laugh. "Beej, c'mere." She pulled her hand from Krickette and held it out to him. "They're your babies too."

Betel hesitated for a moment before he made his way back to the bedside. Lydia grabbed his wrist and pulled him down onto the side of mattress. "Here, hold your arms like this-" She showed him where to put his arms before she lifted Spieder and lowered the infant into the striped cradle.

"Woah… woah wai-" Betelgeuse recoiled slightly as the newborn settled against his chest. He shifted anxiously, his entire body tensed as his son fussed at him from the position change before settling once more. Lydia watched as his face cracked into a wide grin. "Hey… he ain't cryin' or nothin'!" He whispered.

Lydia chuckled. "Of course not. Beej, you fed them your juice while I was in the hospital, and kept them safe when we were all inside… that thing. At the very least, they recognize your… power. Like a dog would recognize a scent."

That seemed to put some of his worries at ease. He relaxed back against the headboard with his wife, and after she'd picked up Krickette, he kicked his legs up and stretched out beside them with Spieder resting comfortably against his chest. "This… this is… nice…" he murmured, smiling sideways at his girls.

Lydia shifted so she could rest her head against the ghost's shoulder. "Can you tell me something, Beej?"

"Shoot Babes."

Lydia chewed her lip nervously. Was this taboo territory between them? It was hard to tell…

"Did you… ever think about having kids with, Laufeia? I know... you used to think they'd have been a misfortune. But did you ever... at all?"

Betel tensed again. He let Spieder latch onto his finger like Krickette had done to Lydia and tickled the baby's nose. He didn't want to hurt Lydia. Would he, if he talked about his first soul mate? He glanced sideways at her again. "I… I mean, it's kinda hard ta remember all that. I'd almost forgotten about her until… the other day…" His face screwed up in concentration and he turned his head away to glare at the wall. Lydia snuggled closer, letting her own eyes drift closed. "I… maybe I mentioned it to her. Early on. When it was just… ya know… a mutual crush o'sorts and fuckin' each other's brains out. I told her she was pretty'n'all… but I wasn' takin' care o'any brats. She told me not to worry cause…" He rubbed the back of his son's hand with the pad of his thumb, staring down at the little bundle, lost in thought. "Well… she was barren. Back then, it weren't too uncommon… cuz'o the plague an' all. But she got sick when she was a kid herself. Messed up her insides. She'd had enough o'raisin' her siblin's anyway. So we didn' worry 'bout it."

Lydia rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "Mmm. Would you have had kids with her, later on? You were going to marry her."

He tried to gauge her tone, worried that she was upset somehow. But she just sounded… curious.

"I dunno… Back then… prob'ly not. I was too busy gettin' inta trouble, connin' people outta everythin' but their moldiest socks."

She laughed at that, her eyelids growing too heavy to even try to open. "Beej?" She murmured after a moment.

"Yeah Lyds?"

"You're going to be a great father. Stop worrying."

Betel stared down at her, shocked, as her breathing slowed. He cautiously extracted one arm from under his son, and, after some careful maneuvering, lifted Krickette off her mother and into his arms. Lydia sighed contentedly and slid further down into the pillows, her cheek against his elbow as he held his children.

It was so… surreal.

They gurgled and cooed, fussed and wriggled in his arms as they kicked their tiny feet. Spieder was nuzzled into the crook of his right elbow, gumming on his socked hand and making happy baby sounds. Krickette pushed her feet against her father's chest, one hand curled tightly in his jacket as she babbled back to her brother. They looked so beautiful… so much like their mother…

He looked sideways at her again. Just two weeks ago he'd watched as her heart was ripped from her chest. Just a week ago she'd nearly died again… Her color was finally coming back. The rings under her eyes weren't as dark anymore. Her hair was thickening again and her eyes weren't as dull.

The twins already had dark curls growing off their scalps, and every once in a while, when they opened their eyes, they were the same rich, chocolate brown Lydia's normally were. They had a tint to their skin that was closer to his than hers, but Juno predicted that they would grow out of that.

They were such… tiny… vulnerable little things. All three of them.

He held them closer to his chest. "I'm sorry you two." He murmured. "I nearly lost ya and yer mother. I let those freaks take ya three from me." He pulled his legs closer, crossing them again beneath the infants. Lydia stirred beside him but didn't wake, and when she settled again, he continued. "I… ain't dad material. Hell… I ain't material good'nuff for any'o ya, really. I messed up a lot. I was supposed ta protect yer mommy… look how well that turned out. Then I was… supposed ta protect you two and…" He sighed heavily.

What was he doing? Talking to infants. Maybe he was going insane. "But… Tobias is gone. Those freaks'r gone too. Plus, ya got that worm Nick. And already, all o'the Neitherworld seems ta love ya munchkins… So… ya should be safe. And I learned from my mistakes." He paused again, shifting his arm as Krickette squirmed and whined. "I ain't gonna make any promises 'bout bein' the world's best dad, but I'm gonna try. I'm gonna do whatever it takes ta keep you three safe. And I ain't gonna let anyone, or thing, get their grimy claws in ya. Ever again."

On the last syllable, Krickette opened her eyes, and stared up at her father.

The poltergeist felt his non-existent breath hitch in his chest. Around the warm, chocolate-y brown irises was a thin band of emerald. The only sounds in the room were Spieder's happy babbling and Lydia's slow breathing. Father and daughter remained locked in an intense stare-down.

Very slowly, Krickette stretched her tiny, chubby arms high above her head and let out a huge yawn. With one last glance up at Betelgeuse, she closed her eyes and snuggled more comfortably against his chest.

Bee Geuse made her way up the stairs, the tea tray balanced carefully in her hands. Her daughter-in-law didn't have much of an appetite lately, which was understandable. But that poor creature was already so tragically thin... all the stress of the past few months had given the girl a rather unhealthy look.

She turned and backed into the door, pushing it open with her hip. "Thought you could use some tea and a little snack, sweetie-"

Lydia was on her back, on the far side of the bed with one hand resting on top of her stomach. Betelgeuse lay on his side, one arm curled under his head, the other draped across the twins. Spieder and Krickette were nestled between them, curled towards their parents. Even as she watched, her son huffed in his sleep, and woke up just enough to lift his hand and interlace his fingers with Lydia's before he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Gnat came up behind his wife in the doorway. He lay a heavy hand on her shoulder, and together, they smiled in on the scene.

The worlds were still in shambles, but here, all was well.

A note: Fuck this ending.

Geezus. Took me like ten tries to write.

Anyway.

Another note: yes, Krickette is staring her father down. I was going to touch on this fact in the sequel, but as that may never happen, I'll just explain it (vaguely) here.

Kioll, Krickette, Spieder, and Afid are all born vastly intelligent. I don't mean like, book smarts. Like math and stuff. I mean they are more... conscious than normal newborns. They simply know things. It's like their instincts are in hyper-drive. Krickette, who is far more powerful than her brothers, can sense her father is somewhat afraid of her and her brother. Since she can't communicate with words, she's using the staring contest and the eventual cuddling to assure him that she trusts him and to soothe his worries. This strange bond between them is probably part of what leads to her being such a daddy's girl.