NOTE: This chapter has been edited due to adult content and not wanting this fic removed from (again) due to said content. Thank you.
Spencers13 1996 — Revised 2001
Beta Reader — Beetle Babe
Beetlejuice & all related charcters © Geffen Film Co.
Story concept & any original characters © Spencers13 (Lacey G)
R — Romance — Drama
Chapter 5 - We've finally foundeach other.
The next few days passed in a blur.
When the doctors came in fully expecting to prepare Lydia's body for the morgue, they were thoroughly shocked to find her sitting up in bed and laughing along with her parents and a strange fellow decked in black and white stripes. Lydia had to suppress a giggle when Dr. Laffarty dropped his clipboard and pen in surprise.
They performed test after test on her and found that her major wounds had been dramatically healed. No one could explain how it happened, and when Lydia was asked, she simply said having her best friend with her made a world of difference.
Finally, after the third day of tests, the hospital had no choice but to release her. She was now stable enough to be taken care of at home. They removed her casts and bandages and tied her arm and leg with wraps less permanent than the hulking casts were. She was able to walk, albeit with a bad limp, but they wheeled her out in a wheelchair anyway.
Beetlejuice stayed with Lydia the entire time she was in the hospital, never leaving her side and always holding her hand. He was the one who lifted her out of the wheelchair and placed her in the car's backseat for their ride home, and he was the one who waited on her hand and foot while she lay, still recovering, in her canopy bed.
Lydia had never seen such a dramatic change in her friend's behavior before. It was such a treat to have him stay with her day and night, never leaving her to go back to the Neitherworld.
"Hey," he said to her once, "I have no job, and no real 'life' there everything I need right now is here, Babes."
Lydia had smiled then and felt butterflies flutter in her stomach and her heart beat faster. She kept remembering what happened in the hospital, the kiss that they had shared, but it saddened her every passing day that Beetlejuice did not reiterate what had happened. In fact, he was avoiding it completely. She could sense at times that he was anxious when he was closer than normal. Once or twice, they came near to kissing again, usually when he had picked her up in his arms to move her. She so desperately wanted to know what he was feeling, but could never find the right opportunity to ask, or make her feelings known to him.
She had realized before the sandworm attack that she was beginning to feel something more for her best friend. Ever since they were forced apart by Delia, during the endless week before they were reunited, Lydia stared out her balcony doors remembering over and over the expression on Beetlejuice's face just before he vanished. The raw emotion in his eyes was unmistakable. It had to be
No, she thought to herself, If that's what it is, I'll let Beetlejuice tell me himself.
One afternoon, Lydia was feeling particularly good. She and Beetlejuice were playing a card game of 'war' when she spoke up. "Beej?"
"Mmm?" he hummed, not looking up from the card he just put down.
Lydia placed her card down as well, and seeing it was a higher face value to his, she picked up both cards and added them to the bottom of her ever-growing pile.
"I'm kind of hungry," she said sheepishly. "Could you please get me something to eat?"
Beetlejuice put his small stack of cards down. "Sure, Lyds. Anything for you. What do ya want?"
"I don't really know maybe a sandwich or something?"
"You bet!" And he vanished through the floor.
Charles almost choked on his tea when Beetlejuice suddenly popped up in the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
"Sorry, Chuck," he said not looking away from the selection of foods. Since he had literally saved their daughter's life, Charles and Delia had given him free run of the house. He was now welcome with open arms. The thought of that made him smile inwardly. I'm welcome here he thought. It feels so good to be welcome somewhere
Charles cleared his throat, breaking Beetlejuice's thoughts. "It's okay, Beetleman. But could you give some kind of warning when you go to pop up, huh?"
"I'll try. And call me 'BJ', Chuck. How many times have I told you already?" He finally turned and closed the fridge door. "Say, what does Lydia like to eat on a sandwich anyway?"
Charles laughed and stood from the kitchen table. He pulled out two slices of bread from the breadbox, some peanut butter from the cupboard, and strawberry jelly from the fridge.
"PB and J, BJ. Her favourite."
Beetlejuice smiled and took the spreading knife Charles offered him. "Thanks, Chuck." And he proceeded to slop the sandwich together.
The peanut butter stuck to the knife and tore up the bread when he tried to spread it, and the jelly splattered all over the counter and soaked into the other slice of bread making it slightly gummy. When he finally finished destroying the sandwich, it was just a glob of mushy bread with peanut butter and jelly slopped on the plate.
"Hmmm" Beetlejuice mumbled, "It needs something more."
"Here," Charles offered him, snickering. He held up a cocktail umbrella and a fork.
Beetlejuice cackled loudly as he stabbed the tiny umbrella into the center of the mound and placed the fork alongside the mess. He thanked Lydia's father again, and jumped back up through the ceiling carrying the plate.
"Uh thanks, BJ," Lydia said stabbing at the mound of mush on her plate with the fork.
"PB and J, Lyds. Your dad said it was your favouite. Eat up, you need your strength!"
"Right" She gingerly took a bite of the 'sandwich', and found it tasted a lot like it should have just messier.
They resumed their card game when she had finished her meal, and played for only a few moments until Delia poked her head into the room.
"Lydia, dear, how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling much better, Delia. My back and chest don't hurt so much anymore, but my arm and leg still feel stiff."
"Then why don't you go for a walk? It's a beautiful day out, and you should exercise your muscles or they'll turn to mush. You don't want to end up going to physical therapy to work them back up, do you?" Delia offered. "I'm sure you'll be happy to get out of this stuffy room for a while too."
Lydia put her cards down. "You're right, Delia. Maybe I should." She turned to Beetlejuice. "Would you like to join me, BJ?"
"Sure!" he said eagerly.
Delia hid her scowl as she turned and headed back for the door. "Have fun," she muttered.
Beetlejuice held Lydia's hand as she eased herself out of bed and stood up. He walked along her right side, and she held onto his arm for support as she limped heavily out of the house and down into the yard.
"Hey, Lyds I I wanna show you something," Beetlejuice said suddenly.
"Sure, BJ. Lead me," she replied, huffing as she limped.
Beetlejuice resisted the urge to pick her up and carry her. He hated seeing her like that, gritting her teeth and hobbling slowly. But he realized that she had to do it on her own, or she'd never get better.
He lead her down into the trees and onto the trail he had discovered about a week ago. They did not have to walk far, for what he sought was close to Lydia's home.
"Beej Beej!" she said suddenly. "I have to sit down, my leg is starting to ache."
Beetlejuice glanced around. "S-okay, Babes. We're here." He helped her to a nearby tree and she sat down against it. Kneeling down beside her and taking hold of her hand, he pointed about ten feet in front of them. "Look."
Lydia followed his pointing finger with her eyes and noticed a large stone sticking from the forest floor. The dirt in front of the stone looked as if it had been recently disturbed.
"Is that what I think it is?" she asked surprised.
"It is," he whispered.
"I've never seen that! Where did it come from?"
"I found it under some weeds earlier the other week when you were first in the hospital." He said the last phrase with difficulty. "I thought I'd show it to you."
"What does the inscription say? I can't read it," she said squinting at the ancient rock.
Beetlejuice got up from her side and walked over next to the stone and sat on the ground. "You can't read it, it's too weathered away." After a moment, he added, "But I can."
"You can? Well what does it say?"
Beetlejuice glanced at Lydia, then back to the stone.
"'Born 1290, Died 1317'," he read. "'Defended our village bravely. Died with honour. Look not for the morrow, look for the now. Rest in peace, dear friend.'," he finished.
Lydia paid careful attention to Beetlejuice's voice inflection as he read the epitaph. He seemed a little too moved by what was once engraved on the stone than if he were reading a stranger's grave-marker.
She carefully scooted herself over and sat behind him. Placing her hands on his shoulders and peering past his blonde hair, she asked, "Beetlejuice who is it? You never said the name."
Beetlejuice tensed at her sudden closeness. "His name was Nikulás the Defender. He was is" Beetlejuice choked, unable to finish.
"He is what?" Lydia pressed, leaning her upper body against his back for support.
Beetlejuice stifled a cry of surprise as Lydia pressed herself against him. The soft roundness of her chest dug into his back, and he squeezed his eyes shut in torment.
"He's he's m-me" he finally stammered.
He heard Lydia's gasp of surprise, and her grip on his shoulders tightened.
"You! But how? When!" her tongue failed her.
"C-calm down, Lyds. How do you think I felt when I found me?"
"Please, BJ. Can you tell me?" she whispered closely in his ear.
Beetlejuice stood up suddenly, pulling away from their close proximity. "I guess so," he said hastily.
Lydia settled herself comfortably next to a tree as Beetlejuice began his recount of what happened. He told her of the raised voices and shouting he heard suddenly, told her about the sharp pain in his chest as he fell to his knees, told her how something made him pull at the overgrowth to reveal the grave stone.
" Then I read the stone, and I remembered who I used to be. My name was Nikulás the Trickster at first," he laughed nostalgically. "I used to pull tons of pranks on everybody. But then one day we got news that invaders were headed our way. Our village was practically defenseless because our warriors were off training and wouldn't be back for days. So I encircled the entire village with booby traps to at least slow the invaders down. It worked at first. But there were just too many of 'em, and they quickly got into the village." Beetlejuice paused, obviously pained by the memory.
"There was a woman caught in the middle of the road between all of the rushing horses. Her name was Anóra. She she was going to have a baby. I couldn't let her get hurt, so I ran up to her and forced her off the road and into a little hut. She told me thank you, and just as I turned around I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I I looked down and saw a sword just just sticking into me. There was a guy standing in front of me holding onto it. He he started laughing and pulled it out." Beetlejuice ran his hand over his face and through his hair, finding it difficult to continue.
"Beej" Lydia whispered, taking his hand and pulling him to sit beside her. He plopped down in the dirt and squeezed her hand, taking comfort in the contact.
Sucking in a breath, he continued, "There was blood God, there was so much blood. It it just poured out of me. Then I fell to my knees. The last thing I remember is falling forward and Anóra screaming behind me. I I couldn't save her, Lyds I couldn't save her"
"Oh, Beetlejuice!" Lydia whispered and pulled him to her. He rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms about her waist. "Well, you did save me, BJ. Doesn't that count for something?" she said into his hair.
"Lydia that makes up for everything I've ever done. You're so precious to me I" He instantly succumbed to his tears and clutched her tighter, sobbing onto her shoulder.
Lydia had never seen him this way. She had witnessed him allow a few tears here and there throughout their friendship, but she had never seen him as emotional as he was now.
Beetlejuice clung to Lydia as if she was the only thing that existed in his world and allowed his body to be racked with tears. Lydia stroked his hair and whispered consoling words to him until he had finally brought himself under control.
"B-Babes," he stammered, wiping tears from his eyes, "You're the only one who's ever gotten me to cry, you know? If you were someone else, I wouldn't have broken down on you." He paused a moment to wipe at her soaked shoulder. "Dammit, Lydia!" he burst out. "I was never like this! Not until you came along! Why do you do this to me?"
Lydia was taken aback by his harshness toward her and pulled away from him slightly as he continued to pummel her with his words.
"I was happy before you showed up! I was having the time of my afterlife! Then there you were! So sweet and innocent I I feel like I ruined you, Lyds but but you ruined me too!" he cried. "I've never felt this way about anyone, Lydia," he lowered his tone to a whisper. "Not for a long time. You you've shown me so many wonderful things you made me realize that maybe being alive is the best thing to ever happen to a person" He was silent for some time. Beetlejuice stared at the ground near their feet and gently entangled his fingers with Lydia's. He was hurt when she resisted at first.
"Lydia" he began. "I'm so sorry I scared you. I I just don't know how to tell you how I'm feeling."
Lydia touched his cheek gently and guided his eyes to hers. "Just tell me, Beetlejuice."
He nodded silently and stayed thus for a long stretch of time. Finally, he parted his lips. "Lydia, you you taught me something so valuable, you can't put a price on it. You taught me how to love again."
Lydia's eyes opened as wide as she could possibly get them, a rush of excitement coursing through her veins.
"And now I do love, Babes I love you. So much. Oh, so much!" he whimpered and collapsed back onto her shoulder once more.
"Oh, BJ!" she whispered into his ear, "I was hoping! I was wishing so much that you did! Because I love you too!"
Beetlejuice almost crushed her against his body when he pulled her into his lap and hugged her uncontrollably.
"Oh, Lydia, Lydia my Lydia! Please don't ever leave me! I was wrong; I lied. I was miserable before I met you! I never thought I'd ever have someone like you who would love me for me. I was happy as your friend for a while, but at the thought of losing you it it changed the way I looked at you, Babes. I realized how I'd feel if I didn't see your beautiful face on my doorstep every other day. I'd be miserable! My afterlife would have no meaning!" He slowed his torrential outburst and let it crawl to a whisper into her delicate ear. "Please, Lydia, please tell me I can keep you forever?"
Lydia pulled away slightly and looked into Beetlejuice's tear-filled, bloodshot eyes. "No, BJ, you can't keep me forever."
His face contorted in unbelievable pain, and he lowered his gaze, fully prepared to burst into tears once more. Lydia lifted his chin gently, making him look up at her.
"You can keep me for all eternity," she whispered.
Elation filled his still heart, and he pulled her close again determined not to let go.
After what seemed like hours, Beetlejuice backed away and looked thoughtful.
"What's wrong, Beej?"
"I was just wonderin' what did you think of that k-kiss I gave you in the hospital?"
Lydia smiled at him warmly. "I thought it was the best thing ever." Beetlejuice blushed and began to look down. "And" Lydia continued, bringing his gaze back to hers, "I wouldn't mind at all if you were to give me more." He turned bright red and stayed quiet for a moment longer.
"If if you insist?" he posed awkwardly.
"Oh, I do."
Beetlejuice's hands slid from her waist slowly up her back and into her midnight hair. He leaned forward slowly as if caught in a trance.
"Lydia" he whispered with a terrible tremor riddling his voice, "I I"
"Tell me, BJ. Tell me," Lydia whispered just as hoarsely, continuing to lean in.
Beetlejuice licked his lips. "I'm s-s-s sc sca" His mouth refused to confess what was riddling his body.
"Please, Beej say it."
"Scared! I'm so scared!" he cried out mere inches from her lips.
"Beetlejuice Don't be It's only me, your best friend," she said more nervously than she had meant to.
Beetlejuice backed away and shook his head, trying to push his tormenting thoughts to the back of his brain.
"Yes, Lyds you are my best friend, so I can't do this with you. I I can't" He tried to lift Lydia from his lap and set her aside, however, she clung to his shoulders and refused to be moved. Beetlejuice responded by pushing her a little more forcefully, resulting in a cry of pain.
"Oh no! Lydia! Did I? I'm so sorry!" He had pressed his hands into her sides producing a sharp sting of pain in Lydia's still healing ribs.
"It-it's okay," she responded, breathing heavily and gritting her teeth, willing the pain to subside.
"No NO! I hurt you! Look at you!" Beetlejuice balled his hands into fists and drove them into his eyes, pressing into them so he would not be tortured by her hurt expression. "All I've ever done is hurt you in one way or another! Please, Babes! Send me back to the Neitherworld before I do any more damage to you! I already got you hurt before! That sandworm almost killed you! I should have saved you right away! Just like I should have been able to save Anóra! I've failed both of you! No! I've failed three people! Her unborn baby too! I I failed failed" he slipped into silence. Beetlejuice rolled his head from side to side against the rough bark of the tree, pressing his fists into his eyes, daring not to look at her, his grave, his surroundings, anything that would remind him of his guilt.
Several torturing minutes passed in silence between the two. Beetlejuice still refused to look. His teeth were gritted together so hard that they produced a noise not very different from grinding. He almost screamed in surprise when he felt the slight pressure of Lydia's body leaning into him. The noise he actually produced was more of a sob.
"You're blaming yourself for things you shouldn't," came her soft, calm voice. "I think I'm beginning to understand some things. You feel responsible for me and you felt responsible for that woman you tried to save. But she was not a stranger to you, was she?"
Beetlejuice shook his head silently.
"You spoke of her as if she were something more someone very close" she tried to persuade him to talk.
Beetlejuice's lips quivered as he tried to speak, but no words escaped his throat. Lydia waited patiently for him to say something.
At last, a noise escaped in a rush of air a cry of anguish so horrifying that sudden tears stung at Lydia's eyes.
"She was mine!" he blurted almost scaring her into leaping from her position on his lap, but she stayed. He would need her attention and support now more than ever. "She was my wife! She was carrying my baby! I loved her more than life itself, but I couldn't save her! I just died and left her to that bastard!" His last word echoed into the forest to become lost within the trees. Lost, just as his soul had been since his death. In truth, he had never stopped grieving the loss of his wife. He had kept it hidden from his Neitherworld family and friends, even Lydia. His newly re-opened wound, however, was too much for him to bear alone anymore. He only hoped Lydia would understand.
As his voice echoing into the wood died away, he heard silence. The wind blew through the trees above their heads, rustling a few leaves loose and letting them drift down around the pair. Silence.
"Beetlejuice"
He was jolted so badly that his hands flew from his tearing eyes and plunged into the ground beside him, gripping large handfuls of dirt and browning leaves. His action startled Lydia as well, but her reaction was to fling her arms around his neck and hug him as hard as she could.
"What happened, happened, Beetlejuice. You have to realize that you did your best. You can't go back and change it. You have to accept what went on and move on with your existence. If you keep blaming yourself like this, you're going to break down, and I'm afraid of what will happen to you! Let it go, BJ. If not for yourself, for me, because I love you. You're all I really have in this world, you know. You're all I really ever had. Don't take yourself away from me. Please."
Lydia's words echoed in Beetlejuice's ears. He blinked cold tears from his eyes and let them spill down his cheeks.
"You you really do love me," he laughed slightly, but no humor reflected in his hollow voice. "You love me you love me" He closed his eyes once more to the stinging cold of his tears. "I love you too, Babes. I thought I forgot how to. But you were so different right from the beginning. So special. So cute, even back then" He wiped at his eyes with his jacket sleeves as it had become his custom in the past few weeks. "I always felt something more for you, Lyds, even when we first met. There was just something about you, but I couldn't do anything 'cause well you were too young. You were so fragile on the edge of breakin' cause you weren't happy in your life. I took pity on you and myself. You needed me, and I needed you. Now, Babes we've gotten really close almost too close, I think."
Lydia lifted her head from his chest and peered at him through glassy eyes. "Do you really think so? Do you think we're too close? Because I don't. I've never felt as good as I do now, or when I'm close to you. It feels so good to have my arms around your neck right now, BJ but but if you love another" Beetlejuice whispered, then tried his best to speak at a normal tone, "I never saw her again. Not since I died. But it's hard to forget you know?"
Lydia smiled, "You're not supposed to forget, BJ. You're supposed to remember and cherish those memories because they are a part of you now, and they make you who you are." She was silent for a few moments. "Beetlejuice I don't want to take her place or make you forget her I just want to fill a void that was left in your heart for a long time and I'm hoping you will be willing to fill the void that's always been in mine" She looked away, unable to meet his eyes anymore. "I'm a woman now, BJ, not a little girl. I'm different, older, more knowledgeable. I f-forget it," she said, squirming to get up. "Nothing I say will convince you of how I feel about you and get you to be with me right now. It's a little obvious you're still confused about a lot of things I'll give you your time."
Before she could struggle to a standing position, Beetlejuice had grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her back down into his lap. She fell back into his arms, and he held her so very close for several long seconds. Then, without warning, he leaned in and took her lips between his, kissing her more deeply than she had ever experienced in her past. The fingers on his right hand wove into strands of her hair as he held her close, smoothing his other hand up and down her back.
Lydia's heart skipped a beat when they finally came in contact again. Even though his skin was cool to the touch, her warmth seeped into him and turned his cheeks rosy. After a heated moment, Lydia broke free from his lips and leaned her head back in awe as Beetlejuice continued to kiss her chin, cheeks and neck without pause. His lips felt so good on her skin as did his hands in her hair and caressing her back and arms. It was all slowly driving her mad. She clung to his shoulders and gasped aloud as he carefully nibbled a tender portion of her neck.
"Oh, BJ" she whispered. "I love that"
"And I love you, Lydia. Believe me in that. It's the truth, and will always be. Nothing can keep me away from you," he whispered into her ear before tenderly nibbling on the lobe.
Lydia held onto his shoulders tighter and allowed a small moan to escape her lips.
"Oh, Babes" Beetlejuice breathed, "You're driving me insane I I want but I don't think you would want" Lydia silenced him with another dizzying kiss. "Perhaps this isn't the proper place to be doing this?" she suggested, indicating the grave.
"You're right, Lyds," he smiled.
With the snap of his fingers, they were transported back into Lydia's bedroom, specifically, on her bed.
Beetlejuice lifted her from his lap and laid her out on the bed gently, then followed suit and situated himself beside her. He gently smoothed her hair from her face and nipped at her cheek.
"BJ," she said nervously, "I've never this is my first"
He silenced her with a tender kiss then said, "I know, Babes. You would've told me otherwise, right?"
She blushed. It was true. If she had had such an experience before, Beetlejuice would have been the first one she would have taken her story to. But the subject brought up a more interesting question.
"What about you, BJ?"
"Me?" he slowed his kisses of her shoulder to a crawl. "What about me?"
"How many times have you been with a Neitherworld woman?" she asked, a twinge of jealousy lining her voice.
Beetlejuice snickered. "Despite my good looks and charms, I've had very little contact with the opposite sex, Lyds. But, yes, a couple times a long time ago," he added almost guiltily.
"I suppose I should have expected it," she said sadly. "I mean you are over 600 some years old."
"Don't remind me," he mumbled as he breathed in the smell of her hair. "But a lot can happen in that amount of time, Babes."
"A lot can happen in a short amount of time too, BJ," she said with a wink. He blushed again, then glanced at her open door.
"Uh what about your folks?" he asked nervously.
As if in answer to his question, Delia called up the stairs, "Lydia? Are you back yet?"
Beetlejuice sprung from Lydia's side and landed on the edge of her bed. Producing a Game Boy out of thin air, he quickly began a game of Tetris and attempted to look innocent.
Lydia sat up and grabbed the deck of cards from her bedside dresser and flung them on her bed, pretending to be playing solitaire.
Delia poked her head into the room. "Oh, you are back!" she said in her bubbly voice. "How was your walk?"
"Good," Lydia said quickly.
"Good," Beetlejuice said without looking from his game.
Delia laughed that naïve laugh of hers, "That's good! Well, I just wanted to tell you that Charles and I are going to the Mondo Mall for some shopping. Do you need anything?
Beetlejuice replied first. "No thanks, Mrs. D."
Lydia, however, looked thoughtful. "Well if you come across the X-Files soundtrack, I'd like to have that. I've been looking for that forever."
"Sure thing, Lydia, dear," Delia piped and disappeared from the doorway.
Beetlejuice and Lydia looked at each other, and both breathed a sigh of relief. Beetlejuice tossed his Game Boy into the air and it vanished with a flash, then stood and shut the door.
"Close call, huh, Babes?" he asked returning to the bed.
"Mmm" she hummed. "I have a feeling it'll be like that until I can move into a place by myself."
Beetlejuice's eyes lit up, and he plunged his body to the floor. Lydia laughed heartily at his sudden comical movement.
"Beetlejuice, what are you doing?"
"Lookin' for somethin'," came his muffled reply from under the bed. "Ah, here it is." He came back up holding a tattered leather bag. "Lyds," he asked, "What's the only reason you have for not livin' on your own right now?"
"Well seeing that I'm out of school now, there really isn't much of a reason."
"Come-on, Lyds, you can do better than that," he probed.
"Uh well, I guess the reason is I don't have much money saved up to get my own place," she said warily. "Why? What's in that bag?"
"The answer to everything," he whispered. He untied the leather strap holding the bag shut then quickly flipped it upside down and dumped everything out onto her comforter.
Lydia almost fainted at the sight. So many riches poured out from the bag, she lost her voice. She carefully picked up a sparkling sapphire necklace and held it timidly in her hands.
"Oh, Beetlejuice," she said in wonder. "Where where did you get all this?"
Beetlejuice gave her a wicked grin. "Where else? From myself!"
"You you stole this from yourself?"
"I didn't steal it, Lyds," he said defensively. "It was mine to begin with."
Lydia looked up and noticed the hurt on his face. "Oh, BJ, I'm sorry. I guess you're right. But what are you going to do with all this?"
"It's gong to be ours, Lydia," he said picking up a gleaming diamond ring from the pile. "That is if you wanna share it?"
"Oh oh B-Beetlejuice!" She broke into an immediate sweat and her heart leapt into her throat preventing her from speaking.
"I I'm not askin' quite yet, Babes I think it might be a bit too early but maybe someday?" he asked shakily.
Lydia took hold of his quivering hand that held the ring. "Someday soon, I hope."
Beetlejuice grinned from ear to ear, then quickly scooped the gems and coins back into the leather sack. He swiped all of Lydia's cards from the bed and gently settled himself next to her once more.
"Oh BJ," she whispered as he again paid close attention to her neck.
"Lyds, oh, Lyds I I need you," he whimpered between kisses.
She shuddered under his touch and leaned more fully into his lips. She caressed her hands up his sides then slipped them under his belly and undid his jacket button, letting it fall open.
"BJ have you lost weight?" she asked surprised as she slid her arms around him.
"Must come from takin' care of you, Babes. Haven't eaten much lately"
"That's not good, BJ. You're going to get sick," she said breathless.
"I'm already sick. What's your point?"
Lydia giggled into his shoulder as she slipped his jacket off of his arms.
"I don't wanna force you, Babes," he whispered.
"I want you to."
A while later, they laid there holding each other, both caught in the warm afterglow of their venture. Sleep attempted to take its hold on the pair, but they grudgingly resisted, simply wanting to bask in each other.
Beetlejuice stroked Lydia's stomach as he thought. "Hey, Lyds," he said after a while. She rolled sideways and pressed herself into his chest.
"Yes?" she mumbled as she snuggled against him.
"Let's blow this place."
"What?"
"Let's leave. I have more money now than we'll ever need in your lifetime, so" he propped himself up on his elbow, "so why don't you move out of here and we'll get a place of our own?"
Lydia was shocked and thought for a few minutes about his proposition. Move out? Actually live with Beetlejuice? This is all so fast! Her head swam.
"O'couse it is up to you, Babes. I mean you won't really need a job, but you'll probably wanna do somethin with your time" Beetlejuice became quiet suddenly. "On second thought, nevermind, Babes. Why would you wanna live with me anyhow?"
Lydia was further shocked by his last comment.
"I mean," he continued, "You got so much to look forward to now. You're all gettin better, and soon you'll be off in college, I'm sure. Why would you want me around gummin' up the works?" He sat up and turned away from her.
Lydia immediately sprung forward and pulled him closer to her body. She held onto him for a long while brushing at his hair and tracing the outline of his face with her fingers.
"Beetlejuice," she breathed, "I've waited for so long for this and now you turn away from me? Please don't tell me I'm losing you already."
Beetlejuice spun on her, "NO! Oh, God, no Lydia! Never ever!" He held her against himself and murmured into her hair, "I guess I was just second guessing stuff, Lyds. I didn't mean to sound like I was leaving you! If anything, I though you might leave me."
"BJ Why would you think such a thing?"
"I don't know. Maybe cuz I think I don't deserve you."
"I'm the one who doesn't deserve you, BJ."
He giggled slightly. "Looks like we don't deserve each other, Babes."
"Then let's stay together just for the hell of it?"
Beetlejuice laughed, "I love that mouth of yours. Come to think of it, I love your eyes too, and your cute little nose, and your adorable ears, and chin, and hands and damn, Babes, I love you. Plain and simple."
"Oh, BJ-" she was silenced by a tender kiss, and even more tender hands on her skin.
SLAM!
Beetlejuice and Lydia gasped in unison as they heard the front door downstairs being shut.
"They're back!" Lydia almost shouted. "Quick! Do something!"
Beetlejuice kissed her once more hastily then snapped his fingers causing their clothes to appear back where they were before ever being removed. The bed instantly made itself and a movie flickered on the television at the end of Lydia's bed. Beetlejuice leapt to the headboard and sat against it, then pulled Lydia up with him. A bowl of popcorn appeared between them, and both of their hands dove for it when the door knob turned.
Delia poked her head into the room again.
"Oh! I love that movie!" she gushed when she glanced at the television and saw Westley wrestling a giant rat in the fire swamp.
They continued to eat the popcorn and stare at the screen.
"So, what have you been doing all evening?"
"Watched TV, mostly, Mrs. D.," Beetlejuice replied through a mouthful of popped kernels.
"That's nice. Lydia, dear, we found your CD for you," Delia grinned handing her the jewel case.
"Great! Thank you!" Lydia turned to retrieve it.
"I'm going to start dinner now. I'll call when it's done."
"Okay, Delia, thanks again! Tell dad I said thanks too."
"I will."
Delia closed the door softly behind her. Beetlejuice swallowed another mouthful of popcorn, then snickered.
"Another close call, eh, Babes?"
"Too close. And this was just the first time. I dread, yet can't wait for, the days to come, BJ. It's so simple and so complicated, you know?"
Beetlejuice put his arm around her. "You don't regret what we did, do you?"
Lydia's head flew to his shoulder. "Of course not! Don't ever think that, Beej! There's nothing I want more than to be with you literally forever. But it's so difficult with my parents around, you know?"
Beetlejuice hummed an affirmative and began to stare at the television once more, not really seeing it. Lydia had lapsed into silence as well, contemplating their situation.
"Lydia! BJ! Dinner!" Charles yelled up the stairs.
The two climbed out of bed, and Beetlejuice helped Lydia hobble down the stairs to the kitchen. They entered the dining room, finding the table already set with plates, utensils, and drinking water.
Fortunately, dinner passed uneventfully and when Lydia had finished off Delia's "world famous" spaghetti, she declared she was going to get ready for bed.
"Help me, Beej," she asked.
Beetlejuice, who had been unusually quiet all through dinner, stood from his chair and lent her his arm. She held onto him as she limped sluggishly out of the room and up the stairs, calling good-night out to her parents and receiving the same sentiments in return.
Even though they had been quite intimate only a few hours earlier, Beetlejuice still felt the need to turn away when Lydia changed into her nightgown.
"Kay, BJ," she said as she flopped onto the bed and fumbled with the covers.
Beetlejuice turned and helped to tuck her in then knelt next to the bed. "How you feelin', Babes? You look a bit stiff."
"Mmm," she grumbled. "My leg is really sore. But I suppose it should be after our walk today. I guess it's a good thing."
"You goin' to sleep then?"
"I guess."
"I'll be down on the couch if you need anything." He stood to leave.
"Beetlejuice," Lydia stopped him, "Please stay with me tonight?"
He looked at her for a minute. "You sure, Babes? What about your folks? Won't they get suspicious?"
Lydia was thoughtful, "Well I suppose they would. But I don't care, BJ. I need you to be with me tonight. I always get so lonely when you leave," she added looking pitiful.
Beetlejuice sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at her.
"You know I can't say no to you."
"Come here, you," she held out her arms, ready to embrace him.
His striped suit vanished and was replaced by his beetle pajamas, then he slipped under the covers next to her. Clasping her tenderly, he placed a few kisses on her forehead and cheeks before snuggling into her warmth. They lay there quietly until Lydia stirred.
"BJ?"
"Mmm?" he hummed sleepily.
"I've been meaning to ask you some things that have been bugging me a little."
"What's the matter, Babes?" he asked, opening his eyes at last.
"Well" she hesitated.
"You can ask me anything, Lyds. You know that."
"Why why did you go to that ghoul's table in the Eye Scream Parlour if you liked me then?"
Beetlejuice bit his lip and closed his eyes again. "Cause I thought I'd never have a chance with you, Lydia," he whispered.
Instead of responding to his answer, she posed another question. "Why were you so determined to keep me alive? I mean, we'd still be able to be with each other, and we wouldn't have to worry about much of anything, really. I could have stayed with you in the Neitherworld permanently."
Beetlejuice opened his eyes once more. "Well, look at you, Lydia. You're beautiful. You're young. You're so full of life and have so much to look forward to. You have such a bright future, that I couldn't bear the thought of it all being taken away from you. It wasn't your time, Babes, and it won't be for a long time. Besides," he paused to kiss her deeply, "I love you the way you are, all hot-blooded and squirmy!" He wrapped his legs about hers and kissed her fiercely. His hand traced the curve of her back and when he was low enough, pinched her backside causing her to yelp and squirm in his grasp. "See?" he cackled.
Lydia couldn't help but giggle and kiss him back. "You're so bad!"
"You love me that way."
"Yeah, you're right."
They kissed and caressed each other for a bit, then Lydia broke free for a moment. "I just have a few more questions, BJ."
He sighed and released her.
"Shoot, Babes."
"How did you transport me to the hospital? Did you get dad to call your name?"
Beetlejuice blushed. "No."
"Then how?"
"I uh" he cleared his throat, "broke a few rules."
Lydia gave him a quizzical look, but said nothing, opting to wait until he continued.
"I said my own name."
"You what!" she gasped. "I thought you weren't allowed to! I thought you couldn't say it!"
"It's the only Neitherworld law that I've never broken, Lyds. It was set up to keep me limited."
"Limited?"
"I'm a lot more powerful than you think, Babes. You've never seen how powerful I can be and I'm afraid to show you cause even I won't know what'll happen if I let myself go. It kinda scares me, ya know? So the Neitherworld set up a law that says 'No one shall repeat their own name in succession in the amount of three times. Such action will be punishable by exile to Sandworm Land, and thus be eaten and reincarnated'."
"Reincarnated?"
"I never told you about that? I thought I did. Anyway, yeah, if a sandworm does happen to eat a ghost, they'll be reincarnated and born again alive. Really creepy stuff. That's why everyone is so scared of em. They don't want to go through the whole life / death cycle again cause once was enough, know what I mean?"
Lydia was silent for a long minute. "Is that why you haven't gone back to the Neitherworld since? Because you're afraid you'll be thrown to the sandworms?"
"Oh, no, Babes! I'm still here cause I wanna take care of you! You come first, Sweet, always."
"You're such a darling, Beetlejuice. But you're not at all afraid of going back?"
"Well yeah, I guess. And I guess now more than ever cause I have you, and I don't wanna lose you, Babes."
Sighing, Lydia snuggled closer to Beetlejuice. "Then don't go back, BJ. Stay here with me."
"Don't worry," he whispered, "I'll stay forever."
Lydia was quiet again. "Hey, BJ?" she asked at length.
He hummed a muffled response from her pillow.
"One more question, then I'll leave you alone."
"I don't mind, Babes," he said yawning.
"I know that the Viking time period was from 800 to about 1050. But you were born in the late 1200's. How did the Vikings even get to this part of the world? They were mostly in the European countries."
Beetlejuice cackled softly. "What is this, Babes? A history lesson?" He laughed again. "Yeah, I was born around 1290. Lessee My village was settled about one to two hundred years earlier. It never really grew that much, though. Times were really tough, and the amount of people stayed about the same. From what I remember of people telling me, some explorers were going to one of the colonies in the very northern part of North America, but they got off course and found their way here. Since they had no idea how to get back, they decided to stay."
"And apparently, the invaders came in some time later, then, and took the whole colony?" she asked.
"Uh yeah I suppose so," he said quickly, stuffing his face back into the pillow. It was obvious the memory was far too painful for him. Feeling guilty for bringing up such a tender subject, Lydia decided to quiet herself and curled into Beetlejuice's comforting arms.
Sleep came quickly for the pair.
Amazing what time can do to one's perception of their own works, like writing for example. The more I look at this, the more unimpressed and irritated I am because of it. The lameness meter went off the scale again in this chapter. ...Rewrite it?... Not hardly. I'll just think of this as a stepping stone that has gotten me to where I am today...which is hopefully in a better place.
I just hope you're enjoying the read and having fun with it.
Next to come...difficult times.