You guys really know how to make a girl blush you know that?
I love it! Keep it coming! ;)
So the Deetzes are back, well sort of anyway and there is still so much more to come.
Enjoy and Review!
Beetlejuice blinked and blinked again. Did he really hear that name right? No, it couldn't be the same, could it? He said that his whole family was coming, that meant Lydia. He wondered how she'd react to seeing him again. Scream of course, no doubt about that. Now he just had another problem to deal with. They all knew how to send him back and he wanted to stay with Layla. That was another frightening thought. He said it to himself, stay with Layla. He'd only known the girl for a day and a half and he wanted to stay with her? It couldn't be right, but it was.
"Interesting." Layla said, still bent over the railing. When she turned to look at Beetlejuice, he was staring down, blank faced at Sloane and Rowena as they made their way to the bedroom. "Are you okay BJ?" She asked lightly putting her hand on his shoulder. He jumped at the feeling and was jolted back to her.
"What did you say Babes?" He asked and smiled.
"What's wrong?" She asked firmly, drawing her eyes together and put her hands on her hips. He looked at her, she was cute when she wanted something.
"Nothin' Babes."
"Yeah, I believe that one. If you had any color to drain out of your face, you would have done it. Something they said startled you and I want to know what it is." She said, not giving an inch.
"Nah, nothin' can startle me Babes. You know that." He said.
"I don't think so. It was the name wasn't it? For some reason the name Deetz freaked you out didn't it?" She asked. When he didn't answer she smiled at her victory. "I thought so. What happened?"
"Nothin' much, just had a run in with him, that's all." He said and shrugged.
"Somehow I doubt that, but I have a feeling you're not going to tell me any more about it." She said and sighed. Something was definitely wrong with him and she wanted to know why, but he wasn't telling her. She could only hope that she was going to find out, soon.
"Well Babes, we got a whole week now before we go spooking. What do you think we should do?" He said and lifted an eyebrow. She laughed and felt how good it was to laugh. Before she met him she couldn't even remember the last time that she had laughed, except for a bitter chuckle when a family went screaming out. With Beetlejuice, it was unavoidable.
"You really are relentless." She said, still smiling.
"I know it. What would ya do without me?" He asked. Layla hadn't thought about that. After he spooked Rowena and Sloane out of the house, she'd be alone again. At least until she was set free and then where would she go? Having Beetlejuice around was fun, but it felt like a vacation to her, something that she knew wasn't going to last and she felt almost sick to her stomach.
"What's wrong?" He asked when he saw her face fall. He reached out to grab her hand and she looked at him and smiled. It was a sad smile that he didn't like at all and he knew that she wasn't thinking anything good.
"What will I do without you BJ?" She asked, her voice full of sincerity. He cocked his head to the side and looked at her.
"Why would you have to?"
"Well next weekend the Deetzes will come and you'll scare them away along with Rowena and Sloane and then you'll go away. On to the next ghost who needs your help." She said.
Shit, the girl thought too much and it was starting to give him a headache. She just kept looking at him, her eyes so sad he just wanted to pull her into him.
"Dammit Layla, you really are a killjoy. Why did ya have to go and think about that shit right now?" He said and did pull her into him. She laid her head on his chest and he rested his chin on the top of her head.
"Sorry, but I just keep thinking that you'll be around forever, but you won't. I guess I just have to face that fact." She said against his chest. He sighed and kept looking over the top of her head, inhaling her scent and locking it with him forever.
"You know I'll be around Babes, I'm always around. All you have to do is say those magic B words and I'll zap myself to wherever you are." He said. Layla smiled against him and closed her eyes. She'd been awake for over twenty four hours now and she was getting tired. Not that she had to sleep, but it felt nice to have a break.
Beetlejuice rubbed her back and when she didn't say anything for a few minutes he looked down and smiled, suppressing a laugh. She'd fallen asleep against him. He shook his head and carefully picked her up without waking her up. He walked up the stairs to the attic and carefully laid her down on the bed, covering her with a blanket. She grabbed a corner of the blanket and curled up on her side, her sleep unbroken. He sat down on the chair and watched her while she slept. He didn't think it was possible, but she looked even more innocent and young when she was sleeping.
Shit, what the hell was she doing to him? Normally he wouldn't have given a rat's ass if she was asleep or not, just stripped her down and had his way. At least attempted it anyway, but here and now? He sat away from her, respecting her wishes of time. He wanted to freak out about it. Be pulling his hair out wondering what was happening, but he just sat there watching her and smiling while he thought. How could she be such a live wire one minute, an insecure woman another and a sleeping innocent the next. He sighed, she was an enigma and he found himself enjoying every minute of it.
He must have dozed off because he was jolted awake when he heard Layla whisper.
"Stop it." She said. He looked at her and saw her squeezing her eyes shut and struggling against the blankets.
"Babes?" He asked, but she wasn't with him. She was someplace else.
"I said stop, please don't. You're hurting me." She said a little louder and kept struggling. He got up from the chair and gently shook her, but she just struggled more. She looked like she was in pain as she pushed against the blankets she'd wrapped herself in. He couldn't take it and laid down next to her, pulling her into him and held her tight. She struggled a little more, but he held her against him until she finally calmed down.
"Dammit Babes, you're holdin' somethin' out on me and I wanna know what the hell it is." He said to her. She just slept against him, her hair falling in her eyes. He brushed her hair away and closed his eyes, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her.
Layla woke up and was a little disoriented. She had a splitting headache and was tangled up in a blanket. She rolled over and saw that she was next to Beetlejuice. He had fallen asleep next to her and was sleeping soundly.
"What on earth?" She asked and pushed herself away. She didn't realize that she was so close to the side of the bed and she fell straight on her rear. Beetlejuice woke up when he heard her thump on the floor. He looked around and then down on the floor and gave her a lazy smile.
"Whatcha fall for?" He asked and yawned. She narrowed her eyes lifted herself up. He saw the blood in her eyes and just kept smiling at her.
"What were you doing in my bed?" She hissed, putting her hands on her hips.
"You were havin' a nightmare Babes, I thought I'd comfort ya." He said and stretched, still laying in bed.
"Yeah right. Did you have a nice grope fest?" She spat. She just couldn't believe him. The utter nerve he had of coming onto her when she was asleep.
"You mean you really don't remember?" He asked sitting up in her bed and pulling the blanket off of him and getting out.
"Remember what? You coping a feel? No, I don't remember that and I probably should be happy at that."
"No really Layla. You were yelling about wanting someone to let you go and they were hurting you." He said. He saw a fraction of uncertainty in her eyes and she wavered.
"I did?" She whispered. She couldn't believe it, she hadn't had a nightmare like that in years.
"Yeah Babes, what the hell was that about?" He asked. She walked over to the chair and sank down in it not saying a word. "Come on Layla, you're scarin' me here." He said and heard it in his own voice. She looked at him and just shook her head.
"It was a long time ago. I hadn't had the nightmares in years and I thought they'd left me." She said dully.
"You gotta tell me what this is about." He wanted to know what she was hiding from him. She sighed loudly.
"I told you that I was pushed into every ball and party so my parent's could marry me off and not have to deal with me." She said.
"Yeah."
"Well I said that men didn't look twice a me."
"Yeah."
"I lied, well about one time anyway. Remember that I said that one man said that no man would ever marry me because there was nothing inside of me?"
"Yeah I remember you talking about an idiot." He said. She gave a small half smile, but it fell.
"Well he did say that, but he also said that I was just a pretty package. Wrapped up nice and tight, but nothing there. After he walked away, I kept to myself in the corner. It got unbearably warm and I went outside on the balcony to get a breath of fresh air. I liked the solitude and peace of being outside of the party. I always hated those parties because I was required to go. I had no choice."
"So what happened when you were out on the balcony?" He asked.
"The man, his name was Alexander, came out onto the balcony with me. I could smell the brandy on his breath from a mile away." She said and looked down again.
"Go on." He said in a tight voice, the rage boiling up inside. He knew where this was going and it all made sense.
"He tried to rape me. He said he wanted to unwrap my pretty packaging and see if there was anything in there worth putting a ring on for. He wanted to taste the goods is how he put it. He yanked me around by the arm and squeezed it so tight that I thought it was going to break. I cried out, for the first time ever and struggled against him. I was saved only by the fact that another couple came out onto the balcony and I was able to dash inside." She said. He didn't say anything for a while, trying to control the rage that he felt.
Everything locked into place with her. The reason she wanted to be alone and her begging him for time. She was struggling against everything she'd lived with and what she was feeling or what he hoped she was feeling for her.
"Layla it wasn't your fault." He said trying to find some way that he could comfort her.
"I know it wasn't. It just scares me sometimes. I haven't thought about it in so long that it startled me."
"You know Babes, it all makes sense now. Why you freeze up whenever I get too close to you." He said. She looked at him and tears filled up her eyes and began to roll down her face. "Layla." He said and pulled her out of the chair and into his arms.
"I'm so sorry." She blurted. "I know it's not fair. I want to do things with you, I really do. Every time I start to feel something for you I just can't help but think about Alexander and I just freeze. I know you're not him, I do know that. I just can't help it." She said in a rush of words.
"Don't worry Babes, we'll figure it all out." He said. Things were getting complicated fast, but he didn't want it to stop.
Layla slowly pulled herself away from him and wiped the tears away from her eyes and cheeks.
"This is all happening so fast BJ. I need to figure out what is going on." She said and looked away. She just couldn't face him right now.
"What are ya sayin' Babes?" He asked.
"I think I need to be alone for the rest of the week. Just to think about what I want to do." She said, still not looking at him. He felt his heart sinking and made her turn her head to look at him. Her eyes were reddening from the tears and he could see that she was miserable.
"Do ya really have to be alone?" He asked. He didn't want to be sent away. Not because it was a bitch to be stuck and not have a thing to do, but because he didn't want to leave her alone. She sniffed and nodded.
"Yes, I think so Beetlejuice." She said and he winced.
"Shit, that's twice you've said it." He said and squeezed his eyes shut.
"I know, I promise I'll call you back." She said. He slowly opened his eyes.
"You better promise me Layla." He said. She was surprised about how harsh his voice seemed to be.
"I promise." She said. He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his, giving her a hard, quick kiss. When he let her go she was breathless and disoriented.
"Do it Babes, quick." He said and shut his eyes again. Layla opened her mouth and closed it again. Why did he have to go and do that when she had already made up her mind? She knew that she needed time to think, but she wanted him here. He made her feel things she'd never thought she'd feel. It both scared her and excited her and she wanted more of both. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Beetlejuice." She said and with that, he was gone. Not a drop of him left in her room, except for the faint smell of smoke.
