Souls That Need Each Other
Chapter 5: Things Go Tumbling Down
By: Kichara
*~*~*~*~*
"Alright, I'll see you guys later!" Nicky called out, her hand on the studio's door.
"Are you sure you wanna go home already?" Jack whined pleadingly. "Why don't you come hang out with us at the Shack? It's karaoke night."
She smiled, shaking her head. "Thanks but no thanks. My Dad's making dinner and I don't want to miss it."
'It's only 4 o'clock!" Hildi, another one of Nicky's band mates, protested.
Nicky twisted the doorknob, pushing the door open with her back. "So? Anyway, it's going to rain." She added matter-of-factly.
Logan, the last band member rolled his eyes at her. "It is NOT going to rain, Nicky; It's the DROUGHT season, remember?"
She shook her head, something like worry seeming to flash across her cheery face for a second. "No, it's going to rain." The tone had a certain amount of finality and an almost child-like certainty to it that none of them could argue against. Her face brightened again as she pushed the door open fully and she called back to them as she stepped outside. "I'll see you later! Thanks for the awesome rehearsal, guys!
The afternoon sun was calming and warm on her dark hair. She brushed her long purple bangs from her eyes and looked up at the clear sky, shaking her head with a rueful smile. 'Geez, Logan's right; it's not going to rain. Why the heck would I say that anyway? Anyway, I wonder what Dad's cooking tonight. Spaghetti, no doubt. It's about the only thing he can make without burning it and half the kitchen down. If he's lucky, that is.' She added mentally, chuckling to herself.
For the most part, she did the main portion of the cooking, as she was easily the better cook of the household. 'Dad can barely heat up leftovers without blowing something up.' Bout a couple of times a month, he'd make dinner just for the two of them. Her iron stomach had no complaints, and the only reason she teased him about his awful food preparations was because. it was fun. Some of the best moments they'd shared were the one's where the both of them acted like absolute 4-year-old's, Nicky realized with a tender smile.
The sudden urge to get home faster seized her and she put on more sped to her walk, eager to get there as she quickly side-stepped fellow pedestrians and the occasional car that swerved onto the sidewalk, courtesy of it's deranged driver, whose origins were almost definitely that of a New York city taxi driver. There was an unusually large crowd in front if the courthouse and Nicky and to slow her pace as she wove through the maze of people standing around, listening to a sharp-looking ghost in a blazer, who was standing at the top of the steps, voice magically amplified as he addressed the mass of people.
Nicky was only partially listening, but some of his words suddenly caught her earnest attention. "In an attempt to keep the peace and justice of our city, we've put the ghost known as Beetlejuice under arrest on the charges of illegally bringing a living child to the Netherworld." The young woman stopped, every muscle in her slender body taunt, her emerald eyes wide. "He actually has had the audacity to manipulate this poor girl into somehow thinking that he was a parental figure, which of course is the only reason she hasn't tried to contact the proper authorities about the case. Many of the citizens, probably even some here, have had bad experiences with the mischievous and often malice nature of this ghost and I'm sure they will support me in my actions here. This menace is currently imprisoned and the situation, I'm glad to announce, is completely under control. I'm sure the city shares my elation in knowing that."
Whatever he was planning on saying next, as well as his smug grin, vanished when Nicky's fist made harsh contact with his haw. He fell backwards, looking up at the irate young woman in shock, while several guards stepped up and grabbed her arms, holding her tightly.
She struggled against their firm hold, all the while maintaining piercing eye contact with the man on the ground as she flailed about. "What the hell have you done with my Dad, you asshole? What's going on?! You-you don't know what happened!! You don't know anything, you-you." She screamed wordlessly, unable to manage any more words as she struggled against the hold on her body, boots scraping loudly on the concrete as she kicked and tried to get back at the man, who'd gotten up and was retreating backwards to the courthouse doors, obviously not wanting to turn his back on the howling creature with the fierce emerald eyes as he slipped inside, closing them after him.
The guards let Nicky go now and she screamed, immediately launching herself at the doors, which refused to open. She pounded at them, shrieking obscenities at no one in particular. How long she slammed against the unrelenting doors, she had no idea. But the crowd had dissipated and vanished when all strength and fury escaped her and she stumped over to the steps, dropping to them heavily. Wearily she let her elbows rest on her knees, hands dangling, with her shoulders slumped and head bowed. And as her tears began hitting the cold stone at her feet, rain began to fall.
* * * * *
"Oh, it sure is nice to get out of the house." Barbara remarked to her husband, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Yeah, but it isn't exactly the Bahamas." Adam answered, glancing at the tall crooked buildings lining the street they were walking along.
"It's alright. Like I said, I'm just happy to get out of the house. We've been cooped up there forever."
Once Lydian had moved out at the age of twenty-one, her parents had done the same, finding no reason to want to stay there with Barbara and Adam. They'd gone back to the city, where Charles bought a condo for Delia to manipulate all she wanted. No one had moved back into the Maitland's old house since, too intimidated by the butchering that Delia and Otho had given it.
Barbara, bored out of her mind with nothing too do, had been flipping through their Handbook for the Recently Deceased and had happened upon a loophole that said they could travel to the Netherworld, even though they hadn't gone through their 130 years yet, under the assumption that they were there to arrange an appointment. Although Barbara just wanted to get some shopping done after missing out on it for the past 90 years.
Both Barbara and Adam had been missing Lydia immensely, who was getting too old and tired to make the trips up to see them like she had in the years past. And of course they didn't have a phone. Not that they'd bee able to pay for the bills, and since no one lived at the house, she couldn't send letters to them. The lack of seeing and talking to the girl that had been like a daughter to them had gotten to both of them, especially Barbara, who had had a woman's sort of link with Lydia that had completely passed over Adam's head when he tried to figure it out.
"I can't believe we never tried to figure out if we could get out of the house sooner. It's not like there's been anything to do." Adam said, sidestepping an uneven slab of concrete.
"I know, I've had such a bad case of cabin fever for the longest time. Wouldn't it be funny, if we went back and there was actually someone in the house?"
He chuckled. "Wishful thinking, and you know it honey." He leaned over, gracing her cheek with a gentle kiss. She smiled warmly, holding his hand tighter. There wasn't a day that went by where she didn't think about how incredibly lucky she was to have met Adam when she was alive, and now had all her afterlife to spend with him.
They came up on a huge building that seemed to be a courthouse, dark purple with tall white pillars and regal steps leading up to it. A huge crowd had gathered in front of the building and the married couple stopped, looking around to try to figure out what was going on. They almost immediately noticed that the crowd's attention was fixed on a man that was standing at the top of the stairs, announcing some news to them.
"We just wanted to make sure that the citizens of this area realize what's going on as we, especially myself, believe it's essential for you to know of current situations. In an attempt to keep the peace and justice of our city, we've put the ghost known as Beetlejuice-" At them mention of the ghost's name, Barbara and Adam exchanged quick wide-eyed glances, holding each other's hands tighter. "--under arrest on the charges of illegally bringing a living child to the Netherworld.
"He actually has had the audacity to manipulate this poor girl into somehow thinking that he was a parental figure, which of course is the only reason she hasn't tried to contact the proper authorities about the case." A figure suddenly brushed by Adam and Barbara roughly, shoving their way through the thick mass of people as they ran up towards the steps. It was a young woman with black and purple hair, whose lips were pulled back in a feral snarl, eyes narrowed to slits. "Many of the citizens, probably even some here, have had bad experiences with the mischievous and often malice nature of this ghost and I'm sure they will support me in my actions here. This menace is currently imprisoned and the situation, I'm glad to announce, is completely under control. I'm sure the city shares my elation in knowing that."
The woman smashed the man in the face. Gasps and murmurs ran through the crowd, while Barbara and Adam only stood silently, watching the woman, whose shoulders were shaking with suppressed anger, fists clenching and unclenching. Several guards stepped up and grabbed a hold of her before she could continue her attack on the man, as she so obviously wanted to do.
"What the hell have you done with my Dad, you asshole? What's going on?! You-you don't know what happened!! You don't know anything, you-you." Her fierce words cut off into a scream of pure hate and frustration as she kicked and tried to push the guards off her. The man stood up and backed up to the courthouse doors, which he opened and slipped inside of.
Her captors let her free now, and she immediately threw herself at the doors, first trying to force them open and when they wouldn't budge, she began pounding her fists into the solid stone. *Bam*
"Come back out here, you coward!"
*Bam*
"What the hell's going on?!"
*Bam*
"You bastard! You bastard! YOU BASTARD!!!!"
*Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam* She shrieked, voice tinged with vehemence, fists pummeling against the stone uselessly.
An uneasy silence settled over the crush of people and they began shuffling off, seeming to be both fretful and on the edge. And all the while the girl continued pounding against the resisting doors. The crowd had vanished by the time she wore herself down, and there was only Barbara and Adam to watch as she trudged back to the steps, where she laid her head down on her crossed arms. As her shoulders began shaking with sobs, it began to rain.
Barbara turned to her husband, her eyes wide and holding unshed tears. "Adam."
"Well, I hadn't thought this day could rattle me more, but you've proved me wrong." A voice behind the couple spoke up, interrupting and they turned in surprise, recognizing the voice to be quite familiar.
"Juno?" Adam blinked at the elderly ghost in surprise, who had an umbrella in one hand, a cigarette in the other.
"What are you doing here?" She half-demanded, taking in a long drag from the cigarette.
"We wanted to get some fresh air. But." Barbara cast her eyes towards the huddled-over figure on the steps, obviously not thinking much about them being there at the moment. "What's going on? Do you know what this is all about, Juno?"
"Well, I really couldn't careless if you're here or not, even if you ARE breaking regulations. And as for. this. As far as I know, it's as Mr. Jackson put it to the crowd, Beetlejuice brought a living girl here and neglected to tell anyone about it. However, I have a feeling that there's a lot more to this story than is obvious." She turned, eyes unnaturally gentle and sympathetic as she turned them to the young woman that had attacked Mr. Jackson almost savagely. Nicky stood up, clothes clinging to her slender body from all the rain and she began walking down the steps, empty eyes focused only on the ground in front of her. She walked past the three without even looking up and continued down the abandoned street, not paying any mind to the rain that was still pouring down on her. The trio watched in quiet silence until she'd trudged out of sight.
"What's her name, Juno?" Barbara asked softly.
"It's Nicky." The ghost tossed her cigarette to the wet ground, stepping on it nonchalantly. "And that's about all I know. Other than the fact that she's a young woman that's in a lot of pain right now."
* * * * *
Whoa! And there goes my barely-ever seen angsty-ness! And there's still more to come!! Thank you soooo much for the reviews! I saw that I got 4 new one's in only 2 days after putting up my last chapter and they were so encouraging that I worked my arse off to get this one done! Thanks for telling me your thoughts about what's going on and again, for all the encouragement. It makes me fell all warm and tingly inside.. Like I ate a kitten. ^^ And they are fuel for Kichara the Happy Review Whore.
Mucho thank and huggles to Spencers13! And yes, I DO love that man's voice. Seriously, what woman (or men that swing that way) HASN'T wanted to just do the voice? ^^
Chapter 5: Things Go Tumbling Down
By: Kichara
*~*~*~*~*
"Alright, I'll see you guys later!" Nicky called out, her hand on the studio's door.
"Are you sure you wanna go home already?" Jack whined pleadingly. "Why don't you come hang out with us at the Shack? It's karaoke night."
She smiled, shaking her head. "Thanks but no thanks. My Dad's making dinner and I don't want to miss it."
'It's only 4 o'clock!" Hildi, another one of Nicky's band mates, protested.
Nicky twisted the doorknob, pushing the door open with her back. "So? Anyway, it's going to rain." She added matter-of-factly.
Logan, the last band member rolled his eyes at her. "It is NOT going to rain, Nicky; It's the DROUGHT season, remember?"
She shook her head, something like worry seeming to flash across her cheery face for a second. "No, it's going to rain." The tone had a certain amount of finality and an almost child-like certainty to it that none of them could argue against. Her face brightened again as she pushed the door open fully and she called back to them as she stepped outside. "I'll see you later! Thanks for the awesome rehearsal, guys!
The afternoon sun was calming and warm on her dark hair. She brushed her long purple bangs from her eyes and looked up at the clear sky, shaking her head with a rueful smile. 'Geez, Logan's right; it's not going to rain. Why the heck would I say that anyway? Anyway, I wonder what Dad's cooking tonight. Spaghetti, no doubt. It's about the only thing he can make without burning it and half the kitchen down. If he's lucky, that is.' She added mentally, chuckling to herself.
For the most part, she did the main portion of the cooking, as she was easily the better cook of the household. 'Dad can barely heat up leftovers without blowing something up.' Bout a couple of times a month, he'd make dinner just for the two of them. Her iron stomach had no complaints, and the only reason she teased him about his awful food preparations was because. it was fun. Some of the best moments they'd shared were the one's where the both of them acted like absolute 4-year-old's, Nicky realized with a tender smile.
The sudden urge to get home faster seized her and she put on more sped to her walk, eager to get there as she quickly side-stepped fellow pedestrians and the occasional car that swerved onto the sidewalk, courtesy of it's deranged driver, whose origins were almost definitely that of a New York city taxi driver. There was an unusually large crowd in front if the courthouse and Nicky and to slow her pace as she wove through the maze of people standing around, listening to a sharp-looking ghost in a blazer, who was standing at the top of the steps, voice magically amplified as he addressed the mass of people.
Nicky was only partially listening, but some of his words suddenly caught her earnest attention. "In an attempt to keep the peace and justice of our city, we've put the ghost known as Beetlejuice under arrest on the charges of illegally bringing a living child to the Netherworld." The young woman stopped, every muscle in her slender body taunt, her emerald eyes wide. "He actually has had the audacity to manipulate this poor girl into somehow thinking that he was a parental figure, which of course is the only reason she hasn't tried to contact the proper authorities about the case. Many of the citizens, probably even some here, have had bad experiences with the mischievous and often malice nature of this ghost and I'm sure they will support me in my actions here. This menace is currently imprisoned and the situation, I'm glad to announce, is completely under control. I'm sure the city shares my elation in knowing that."
Whatever he was planning on saying next, as well as his smug grin, vanished when Nicky's fist made harsh contact with his haw. He fell backwards, looking up at the irate young woman in shock, while several guards stepped up and grabbed her arms, holding her tightly.
She struggled against their firm hold, all the while maintaining piercing eye contact with the man on the ground as she flailed about. "What the hell have you done with my Dad, you asshole? What's going on?! You-you don't know what happened!! You don't know anything, you-you." She screamed wordlessly, unable to manage any more words as she struggled against the hold on her body, boots scraping loudly on the concrete as she kicked and tried to get back at the man, who'd gotten up and was retreating backwards to the courthouse doors, obviously not wanting to turn his back on the howling creature with the fierce emerald eyes as he slipped inside, closing them after him.
The guards let Nicky go now and she screamed, immediately launching herself at the doors, which refused to open. She pounded at them, shrieking obscenities at no one in particular. How long she slammed against the unrelenting doors, she had no idea. But the crowd had dissipated and vanished when all strength and fury escaped her and she stumped over to the steps, dropping to them heavily. Wearily she let her elbows rest on her knees, hands dangling, with her shoulders slumped and head bowed. And as her tears began hitting the cold stone at her feet, rain began to fall.
* * * * *
"Oh, it sure is nice to get out of the house." Barbara remarked to her husband, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Yeah, but it isn't exactly the Bahamas." Adam answered, glancing at the tall crooked buildings lining the street they were walking along.
"It's alright. Like I said, I'm just happy to get out of the house. We've been cooped up there forever."
Once Lydian had moved out at the age of twenty-one, her parents had done the same, finding no reason to want to stay there with Barbara and Adam. They'd gone back to the city, where Charles bought a condo for Delia to manipulate all she wanted. No one had moved back into the Maitland's old house since, too intimidated by the butchering that Delia and Otho had given it.
Barbara, bored out of her mind with nothing too do, had been flipping through their Handbook for the Recently Deceased and had happened upon a loophole that said they could travel to the Netherworld, even though they hadn't gone through their 130 years yet, under the assumption that they were there to arrange an appointment. Although Barbara just wanted to get some shopping done after missing out on it for the past 90 years.
Both Barbara and Adam had been missing Lydia immensely, who was getting too old and tired to make the trips up to see them like she had in the years past. And of course they didn't have a phone. Not that they'd bee able to pay for the bills, and since no one lived at the house, she couldn't send letters to them. The lack of seeing and talking to the girl that had been like a daughter to them had gotten to both of them, especially Barbara, who had had a woman's sort of link with Lydia that had completely passed over Adam's head when he tried to figure it out.
"I can't believe we never tried to figure out if we could get out of the house sooner. It's not like there's been anything to do." Adam said, sidestepping an uneven slab of concrete.
"I know, I've had such a bad case of cabin fever for the longest time. Wouldn't it be funny, if we went back and there was actually someone in the house?"
He chuckled. "Wishful thinking, and you know it honey." He leaned over, gracing her cheek with a gentle kiss. She smiled warmly, holding his hand tighter. There wasn't a day that went by where she didn't think about how incredibly lucky she was to have met Adam when she was alive, and now had all her afterlife to spend with him.
They came up on a huge building that seemed to be a courthouse, dark purple with tall white pillars and regal steps leading up to it. A huge crowd had gathered in front of the building and the married couple stopped, looking around to try to figure out what was going on. They almost immediately noticed that the crowd's attention was fixed on a man that was standing at the top of the stairs, announcing some news to them.
"We just wanted to make sure that the citizens of this area realize what's going on as we, especially myself, believe it's essential for you to know of current situations. In an attempt to keep the peace and justice of our city, we've put the ghost known as Beetlejuice-" At them mention of the ghost's name, Barbara and Adam exchanged quick wide-eyed glances, holding each other's hands tighter. "--under arrest on the charges of illegally bringing a living child to the Netherworld.
"He actually has had the audacity to manipulate this poor girl into somehow thinking that he was a parental figure, which of course is the only reason she hasn't tried to contact the proper authorities about the case." A figure suddenly brushed by Adam and Barbara roughly, shoving their way through the thick mass of people as they ran up towards the steps. It was a young woman with black and purple hair, whose lips were pulled back in a feral snarl, eyes narrowed to slits. "Many of the citizens, probably even some here, have had bad experiences with the mischievous and often malice nature of this ghost and I'm sure they will support me in my actions here. This menace is currently imprisoned and the situation, I'm glad to announce, is completely under control. I'm sure the city shares my elation in knowing that."
The woman smashed the man in the face. Gasps and murmurs ran through the crowd, while Barbara and Adam only stood silently, watching the woman, whose shoulders were shaking with suppressed anger, fists clenching and unclenching. Several guards stepped up and grabbed a hold of her before she could continue her attack on the man, as she so obviously wanted to do.
"What the hell have you done with my Dad, you asshole? What's going on?! You-you don't know what happened!! You don't know anything, you-you." Her fierce words cut off into a scream of pure hate and frustration as she kicked and tried to push the guards off her. The man stood up and backed up to the courthouse doors, which he opened and slipped inside of.
Her captors let her free now, and she immediately threw herself at the doors, first trying to force them open and when they wouldn't budge, she began pounding her fists into the solid stone. *Bam*
"Come back out here, you coward!"
*Bam*
"What the hell's going on?!"
*Bam*
"You bastard! You bastard! YOU BASTARD!!!!"
*Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam* She shrieked, voice tinged with vehemence, fists pummeling against the stone uselessly.
An uneasy silence settled over the crush of people and they began shuffling off, seeming to be both fretful and on the edge. And all the while the girl continued pounding against the resisting doors. The crowd had vanished by the time she wore herself down, and there was only Barbara and Adam to watch as she trudged back to the steps, where she laid her head down on her crossed arms. As her shoulders began shaking with sobs, it began to rain.
Barbara turned to her husband, her eyes wide and holding unshed tears. "Adam."
"Well, I hadn't thought this day could rattle me more, but you've proved me wrong." A voice behind the couple spoke up, interrupting and they turned in surprise, recognizing the voice to be quite familiar.
"Juno?" Adam blinked at the elderly ghost in surprise, who had an umbrella in one hand, a cigarette in the other.
"What are you doing here?" She half-demanded, taking in a long drag from the cigarette.
"We wanted to get some fresh air. But." Barbara cast her eyes towards the huddled-over figure on the steps, obviously not thinking much about them being there at the moment. "What's going on? Do you know what this is all about, Juno?"
"Well, I really couldn't careless if you're here or not, even if you ARE breaking regulations. And as for. this. As far as I know, it's as Mr. Jackson put it to the crowd, Beetlejuice brought a living girl here and neglected to tell anyone about it. However, I have a feeling that there's a lot more to this story than is obvious." She turned, eyes unnaturally gentle and sympathetic as she turned them to the young woman that had attacked Mr. Jackson almost savagely. Nicky stood up, clothes clinging to her slender body from all the rain and she began walking down the steps, empty eyes focused only on the ground in front of her. She walked past the three without even looking up and continued down the abandoned street, not paying any mind to the rain that was still pouring down on her. The trio watched in quiet silence until she'd trudged out of sight.
"What's her name, Juno?" Barbara asked softly.
"It's Nicky." The ghost tossed her cigarette to the wet ground, stepping on it nonchalantly. "And that's about all I know. Other than the fact that she's a young woman that's in a lot of pain right now."
* * * * *
Whoa! And there goes my barely-ever seen angsty-ness! And there's still more to come!! Thank you soooo much for the reviews! I saw that I got 4 new one's in only 2 days after putting up my last chapter and they were so encouraging that I worked my arse off to get this one done! Thanks for telling me your thoughts about what's going on and again, for all the encouragement. It makes me fell all warm and tingly inside.. Like I ate a kitten. ^^ And they are fuel for Kichara the Happy Review Whore.
Mucho thank and huggles to Spencers13! And yes, I DO love that man's voice. Seriously, what woman (or men that swing that way) HASN'T wanted to just do the voice? ^^
