Claudia watched the car speed away and felt a tiny pull at her heart. Damn it all, why did she have to squeal like that when he drove fast? All because of that accident…and it was ages ago! She couldn't just get over it?

Giving it up like she always did, she turned to the house and grabbed the garden hose and began to shimmy up. Finally, she clawed her way to the top and pulled herself over the sill. All was quiet. "Yes…the Mom radar didn't pick me up…" she silently thanked whatever god would listen and collapsed on her bed, her arms tired and her heart pounding.

Suddenly she sat straight up again. How could she have not noticed when she first came in? Two people were standing in her room. One was sitting on a small chair and another was looking over the model.

"Adam? Barbara? What are you guys doing back here?" Claudia laughed, slightly startled but wholly glad to see them.

"We decided to drop in to see how things were going. How are they, by the way? He's not still around, is he?" Barbara asked, warily, looking around.

"Unfortunately, yes. I don't see him right now, though, so I guess he's decided to take a vacation of his own. Thank God." Claudia eyed the closet and mentally dared him to show himself while the pair was there.

"Lucky for us. Word in the next world is that he almost killed you!" Adam said, sounding more than a little concerned. "You ok? You look fine."

"Getting' better every minute. I'm going back to school in a few days. But that can't be the only reason you came to visit, is it? Please tell me there's something else. I'm almost starved for news from outside my four walls."

"Well, not really. We've just been so worried about you being alone with him. This was the earliest we could get away, what with moving into the new place and-…"

"Now Barbara," Adam interrupted good-naturedly. "You know it's against the rules to tell her if there's anything like that after life." But he gave Claudia an obvious wink and smirked.

"Well, I guess that's all. We've gotta be getting back; our visiting time's almost up. You just give him a good smack if he gets out of hand," Barbara warned. "And if worst comes to worst, you can take the chance to send him back by saying his name three times. It might get rid of him or it might make him big again. And you do not want that."

"You're preaching to the choir. I know what he can be like when he's life size," Claudia sighed.

"Oh…what?" Adam demanded. "When was he life size?"

"When he 'almost killed me', quote-unquote."

"Wasn't he small?"

"No. Let me reiterate: He was life-size."

"How'd he get that way?"

She paused and looked down. "I made a mistake."

They gawked.

"I was angry and I didn't count!" she pleaded. "I'm sorry, ok? It won't happen; ever again. Trust me, I learned my lesson. Every time I even see him, it feels like the snake venom comes back and starts burning in every single one of my veins. And I feel like I'm gonna throw up or faint or go insane. So you don't have to worry about me letting him out again. Ok?"

Barbara raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Just don't slip up again, because the next time, he'll make sure he actually kills you."

"Mhm."

The two waved goodbye and faded away. Claudia watched them go with a wretched feeling in her gut, like she was choked up and sick. It really sucked, knowing that they were the only ones she could talk to about her problem at home and they couldn't ever be there.

She tried to wipe away the long-overdue tears, but they leaked out anyway. Sobbing like a ten-year-old, she laid down and curled up on her bed and tried to fall asleep, which she finally succeeded after fifteen minutes of crying.

Her even breaths were the only sound in the swiftly darkening room, until a few seconds later a creaking sound from the closet door echoed. Beetlejuice shuffled out in his small state, slightly disgruntled, shocked and most definitely a little hurt. After all, he had heard everything.