Destiny
by
Owlcroft

A/N: The events described in this story can be found in "Cahoots".

"Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone - we find it with another." Thomas Merton

It was Beetlejuice's turn to cook and he went with one of the family favorites. "We're having penne rigate marinara con funghi," he announced majestically. He didn't speak Italian but it was household tradition to announce the menu items oratorically and the kids always loved it.

Once dinner had been served, each one of the family grabbed a fork and impaled a mushroom; holding their forks in the air, they chanted in unison, "There's a fungus among us!" and laughed before beginning on the savory pasta.

When the dinner clean-up was completed, the whole family convened again in the parlor. Beatie's essay for the following week was to be written about the night her father had proposed to her mother and she once again had her notepad at the ready, and this night Chazz had his box of Legos out.

Lydia settled herself on the couch next to her husband and looked at him questioningly. "So who should tell them? You or me?"

He frowned in thought. "I don't know. It's going to sound bad no matter who does it."

"So we do it the way we do everything, then. Together." Lydia faced her children and smiled at them. "Your father never proposed to me at all."

"Wait, wait!" Beetlejuice scratched his head. "I did ask Chuckie for your hand. Remember? 'Course he would never have agreed, but does that count?"

"Hmm. You did, but . . . no, that doesn't count. You never asked me."

The children were confused and disturbed. "But you are married – we've seen the photos," offered Beatie. "Aren't you?"

Chazz merely stared at his parents silently, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, you see what happened is that we accidentally slept . . . um, spent the night – Lyds! How can I put this?"

Lydia slid her hand into his. "Let me try. Okay, um . . . well. For years, your Papa and I were best friends and our friendship sort of . . . became dating and we started getting serious about each other, more than friends. My parents, Grandpapa and Grandmama, didn't realize that we were friends and they didn't know we were dating at all. We were going to tell them, explain everything to them, but then one night I had a bad dream and your father came through to sit with me until I could go back to sleep. Then he accidentally fell asleep there in my room and Grandpapa and Grandmama found us together the next morning." She stopped and looked at the two small faces staring at her. "Clear so far?"

Beatie and Chazz both nodded so she resumed.

"They were . . . surprised."

Beetlejuice snorted at that, then held up a hand in apology for the interruption.

"They were also a little upset so we figured we'd better explain about being best friends for a long time and . . . I guess, we kind of decided we should get married so they would accept the situation a little better?" Lydia paused and frowned. "No. That's not right."

"What happened was," Beetlejuice took over, "Grandpapa was really fried about it; he didn't think I was somebody that your mother should even be hanging out with, so I told Grandpapa I was willing to marry your Mama but she thought I was being forced into it so she said no."

Both children gasped at that, looking startled and unhappy.

"But then, and you're going to like this part, she proposed to me." Beetlejuice grinned at them. "Then I said no. But she talked me into it." He turned to his wife. "You know what really got to me? When you said I was your one true love." He kissed her tenderly. "And you know you're mine."

Beatie was writing as fast as she could and Chazz was quietly smiling.

"So your Papa said yes, finally, after I pretty nearly begged him, and Grandmama started planning the wedding immediately –" Lydia slanted a glance at her husband. "And you and Father just ducked out on me and left me to deal with it by myself!"

Beetlejuice waved a hand carelessly in the air. "It just seemed like a good time for us to do some guy-bonding. You know."

Lydia gave him a mock scowl. "And a good time to leave all the catering and dress designs and invitation lists and flower arrangements and music and honeymoon venue, not to mention setting a date, to me and Mother? Thanks, Beej." She turned away from him slightly presenting her very best cold shoulder.

"Hoity-toity!" said Beetlejuice. "You think it was fun or easy trying to get along with Chuckie when I'd just stolen his pumpkin away? Took me hours to get him used to the idea and then he kept coming up with questions like how I was going to support you and where we planned to live and which country club I belonged to. Sheesh!" He rubbed his head reminiscently. "I think after a while I just started saying, 'Well, what do you think, Chuck?" and pretended we'd do whatever he said."

"Anyway," Lydia picked up the threads of the story again, "I eventually talked your father into marrying me even though he was convinced he wasn't 'good enough for me'. He did manage to believe in my feelings for him, at last, and his feelings for me. But it was touch and go for a few minutes, I'll tell you." She snaked out an arm and dragged her husband to sit right up against her. "You stubborn ghost, you. Good thing I'm even stubborner."

"Yes, it is," he agreed. "And the kids take after both of us that way, so nobody else will ever have a chance against this family. Right, chicks?" He turned to the two on the floor.

Chazz nodded decisively. Beatie nodded also, but less emphatically since she was still writing as fast as she could.

"All right then. That's how your Mama proposed to me," said Beetlejuice. "And if your teacher doesn't like it, then we'll make up something else for her. Okay, Trix?"

"Okay, Papa." Beatie finished writing then looked up at her parents. "But . . . if you wanted to make something up, what would it be?"

Lydia groaned and put her face in her hands.

"Oh, I could tell you all about how your Mama chased me for days and days. I couldn't get away from her! Then I decided to hide but the first place she looked was in the pile of dirty laundry. So I ran out of the house, as fast as I could, but she followed me yelling at me to marry her and I tripped and she pounced on me and tickled me until I said whatever she wanted, which was, 'Ooooh, fair Lydia, I'll marry you, I'll marry you! Please just stop tickling me!' and then she stopped tickling me and started tickling . . . you!" and he pitched onto the floor, clutching the children and managing to tickle both of them at the same time.

Lydia, head on hand, watched the melee on the floor and enjoyed the high-pitched shrieks coming from all three.

ooooo

That night, preparing for bed, Beetlejuice suddenly took Lydia in his arms and said, "I want to say something, something I've never said before. I never knew I wanted to before tonight. Lydia, sweeting, heart's own, can I finally propose to you?"

"Beej? You want to propose? Now?" She slid her arms up around his neck and smiled at him and nodded.

"Yeah. I do. Soooo," he cleared his throat and looked at her solemnly, "some guy, might have been Will, once said, 'whoever loved that loved not at first sight?' And I sure did. You know what you are to me. I don't have any words to tell you that. All I can say is that you're my everything. You are . . . my one and only love. Lydia, heart's treasure, heart's hope, heart of my heart, I will try so hard to make you happy forever. Will you marry me?"

She toyed with a strand of his hair and said, "You do remember we've been married twice already?"

"It's not enough. It might have to do, but it isn't enough. My dearest, own, only one – will you?"

"I will. As often as you want. Whenever and wherever you want. Every day if you want." She caressed his face and gazed into his lambent eyes. "Because I love and need and treasure you just as much. My one true love."