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 7 - Attacked
The blue lightning that charred the ground of the Neitherworld for six solid months finally ceased. The endless black clouds that covered the skies and darkened the land at last began to break apart to allow streams of sunlight through.
Beetlejuice fell to the ground, naked and curled into a fetal position. His body shivered uncontrollably in the cold morning air.
"Be-atlejuice!" Jacques spotted him and ran forward carrying a blanket he managed to save from the destruction. He had been following Beetlejuice at a safe distance the entire time he was demolishing the Neitherworld, knowing that he would need help when it was all over. He tossed the blanket over Beetlejuice's body and wrapped him as best he could. "Be-atlejuice? Say somesing!"
Beetlejuice shivered even more. "S-s-so c-c-cold"
Jacques hefted Beetlejuice into his arms. "Zis is why I work out so much!" he chuckled and carried him all the way back to the Roadhouse which had already been rebuilt by a second entity.
Ginger was already there, waiting.
"Is he alright, Jacques?"
"'E will be fine, Ginger. 'E just needs to rest." Jacques toted Beetlejuice into his bedroom and placed him in his coffin bed, then pulled several more layers of blankets over him. "Rest easy, mon ami. It is over."
"No, Jacques," Beetlejuice whispered hoarsely, startling the skeleton, "It'll never be over."
Jacques rested his hand on Beetlejuice's shoulder, unable to think of a reply to the cryptic statement.
"Rest, Be-atlejuice. Zat is an order."
Beetlejuice did not argue. He nodded his head and closed his eyes, willing sleep to take hold of him. Before he drifted off into that blissful place of rest, however, he saw Lydia; saw her crying, saw her trying to call his name over and over only to have silence answer her. Then he saw what would have happened to her if he stayed in the real world when he turned into that horrible creature. That thought drove him to silent tears.
He could feel his newly awakened powers coursing through him, and he was frightened. What if he went to Lydia and lost his grip on them? What if she was caught in his flurry? Surely she would not survive. His power was that great.
Beetlejuice allowed a few more tears to slip past his broken defenses. He had no choice, he would have to stay away from her to make sure she was protected. He would be devastated if he did something to harm her, even more devastated than he would be if he never saw her again until she died. So he would take the lesser of the two evils and stay away.
Beetlejuice trudged out of his newly renovated bedroom the next morning in a daze. His stomach growled at him, but he ignored it. The thought of eating right now sickened him. He plopped down in his new couch and stared at the blank screen of his new television. Everything was the same, though. It was the same couch he always had, the same television that always sat on the opposite side of the coffee table, they were just all in brand new condition. It was as if he went out and bought them all new at a store. Beetlejuice admitted there were some advantages to this whole "cleaning" process the Neitherworld went through. He just wished he was never involved in it.
"Be-atlejuice! 'Ow are you feeling zis morning?" Jacques piped cheerfully from the kitchen.
"Better," was all he said.
Jacques trotted from the kitchen carrying a plate of steaming pancakes. "'Ere you are! Breakfast!"
Beetlejuice politely pushed the plate away. "No thanks, Jacques. I'm not hungry."
Jacques stared Beetlejuice up and down. "Look at you!" he said shocked. "You are getting to be nossing but skin on bones!"
Beetlejuice looked himself over. Jacques was right! He could not remember being this thin since Highs-Ghoul!
Wow! Wait till Lyds gets a look at me! he paused. Oh, right
"When Lydia sees you, she will be very surprised!" Jacques seemed to read Beetlejuice's mind.
"Yeah right" he grumbled and slouched into the couch.
Jacques gave him a quizzical look. "Be-atlejuice? What is ze matter? Do you not want to see 'er?"
"Of course I do, but" he drifted off to stare at the television's blank screen again.
"But what?
"I can't"
"Can not what!" Jacques was confused by Beetlejuice's vague answers.
Beetlejuice sighed heavily, "I can't see her."
"Why?"
"Cause! You saw what I did to the Neitherworld! You don't even want to see what I've been imagining I could do to her if I went to see her! My powers are too strong! What if I can't control em? I could hurt her! Or worse! No no, I can't let it happen I'll just stay here," Beetlejuice slumped deeper into the couch.
Jacques put the plate of hotcakes on the coffee table and placed his bony hands on his bony hips. "Are you telling me zat after all zis time, now you are afraid of going to see Lydia? Zat is ridiculous! You 'ave always 'ad ze same level of power zat you do now! You 'ave never been afraid before!"
"That's cause back then I didn't love her" Beetlejuice bit his lip.
Jacques' eyes grew almost as large as his pancakes. "Mon dieu!" He slapped his hand on his skull. "Love! Did I 'ear you right?"
"Yeah you heard me" Beetlejuice scowled. "So what if I love her! Does that surprise you, bone-breath?" Beetlejuice stood from his seat. "Maybe the whole world would like to hear it too? Because it's true, and I can't hide it from anyone anymore. I love Lydia Deetz!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. He staggered and fell back to the couch, drained. "I I love her so much, Jacques. So much, that I can't see her again."
Jacques smiled. "Zat is silly, Be-atlejuice. You 'ave never lost your control around 'er before, and if you do love 'er as much as you say, zen you will not lose control now. Please, mon ami, you are suffering without 'er. Tell me, does she feel ze same way for you?"
Beetlejuice hung his head and whispered, "Yes."
Jacques nodded his skull. "Zen zere is nossing to keep you apart from each other. Go, Be-atlejuice. She is undoubtedly waiting for you."
Beetlejuice sat forward. "You you really think so?"
"Abslolutement!"
Had anything been in Beetlejuice's way, he would have ran it over in an attempt to rush to his bedroom mirror.
Beetlejuice peered into Lydia's bedroom through her mirror.
She was not there.
He pushed aside his disappointment when he noticed something wrong. The room seemed to be empty. Things that had always sat around were missing.
Where is she? he wondered. Voices floating up from downstairs caught his attention. He vanished from Lydia's bedroom and popped up in the mirror hanging in the dining room. The voices were coming from the adjoining kitchen.
"We thought you'd be coming home tomorrow, Pumpkin. Didn't you have classes today?" he heard Charles say. Finally, he heard her voice. That sweet voice of hers.
"Yeah, well, it's the last day, and it's not like they can give us any assignments, so I decided to start my vacation earlier."
"I suppose that's alright," Delia piped in. "So, how was your fourth term in college?"
College! Lydia's in college now?
"It was okay, I guess. Just about the same as the other three, just harder projects."
"How have your grades been holding up?" Delia asked.
"Well, I'm in the top five in my class, if that means anything?"
"Does it! Congratulations, Pumpkin! We're so proud of you!" Beetlejuice heard Charles gush. He heard some shuffling and assumed hugs were being exchanged.
"I'm going to head out for a while, if you guys don't mind. I promised Prudence and Bertha I'd spend a day with them this break, so I'll take today and then have the rest of my week with you."
"Well, alright, Pumpkin, if you want. Tell them we said hello."
"I will," Lydia's voice called from farther away. Then the door shut.
If I waited this long, I guess I can wait until tonight to see her again, Beetlejuice thought and vanished from the mirror just before her parents walked into the dining room.
Lydia trudged into her darkened room wearily. Spending the entire day at the Mondo Mall with Prudence and Bertha proved to be taxing. Her leg was sore and her back was throbbing. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for two days.
Her parents had taken off to see a Midnight Matinee in town. Lydia politely refused their invitation to join them, claiming to need rest. They completely understood and left her to get some sleep.
Lydia did not realize it, but she was being watched by two sets of eyes. One from her mirror and the other from the darkness in the corner of her room. Before she could flip the light switch on, a voice broke the stillness.
"Hello, Lydia."
Startled, Lydia slammed the door shut and whipped her gaze about the room.
"BJ?" she whispered.
"I'm sick of hearing that name!" the voice grated. "Every time I talk to you, it's BJ this and BJ that!"
Lydia squinted and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, she saw a figure leaning against the far wall. "Kevin!"
"What did you do, Lydia? Leave me for this BJ guy? I'd like to meet him, then."
"Kevin, what are you doing here? How did you find were I lived?" The moonlight that shone through the balcony doors glinted on something in his hands.
"I followed you home, then when it got dark, I climbed in through your balcony. So nice of your parents to leave it unlocked for me."
"Get out of here!" Lydia shouted, annoyed. "I told you I didn't want to see you again!"
Kevin tisked his tongue several times. "Lydia, Lydia, Lydia obviously you were so excited over me, you went a little crazy and said some stupid things. Don't worry, I forgive you." His voice was oddly calm, and Lydia became immediately uneasy.
"I meant what I said, Kevin. Leave. Now. Before I call the police. I can get you on just what you did to me in your car last night."
Kevin took a few steps forward twiddling the shiny object he held in his hands. "Remind me, Lydia. What did I do to you last night?"
Lydia scowled. "You tried to rape me, you bastard!"
Kevin flung himself at Lydia and pinned her against the door, placing the shiny object against her throat.
"One more word out of you, bitch, and you'll be breathing through a hole in your neck!"
On the other side of Lydia's mirror, Beetlejuice had seen enough. Rage boiled hotly within himself, and he felt his powers surging down his arms. Without thinking, he raised his outstretched hands and forced his energy out through his palms and blasted the reflective surface in front of him.
Kevin spun Lydia around in front of him and held onto her from behind. He kept the knife poised at her neck as they both watched her mirror explode outward in a shower of glass. The shards did not hit the floor, however. They slowed their outward momentum and then stopped. The shards of glass spun together tighter and tighter until they formed the silhouette of a man with angry eyes glowing red.
"What the hell!" Kevin shouted, startled. In an unbeknownst reaction, he pressed the knife tighter against Lydia's throat.
"Let her go," the dark figure uttered with a deep resonating voice. He did not move, did not blink.
"What are you, some kind of devil!" Kevin squealed. "What do you want?"
"Just the girl and your blood"
Kevin's eyes grew in fear, and he tightened his grip on Lydia again. "You you stay away from me! Or or I'll cut her open! You hear me! I'll do it!"
"Very well" the figure took one step back, then slipped straight through the floor.
Kevin's eyes tore about the room in a frenzy. "Wh-where'd he go! He just vanished! Did you see that?"
As Kevin's eyes searched the room for the figure, he noticed the moonlight that drifted in through Lydia's balcony doors vanish. The room was bathed in cool blackness.
"L-Lydia?" he whispered. His hand that held the knife was jerked away from Lydia's neck. Kevin released his grip on her in surprise, and she stumbled away, hiding on the opposite side of her bed.
Kevin's body was raised into the air, held in the choking grip of a set of giant red-tipped hands that seeped from the walls. Kevin screamed in fright as a face pushed its way through the door and glared at him through glowing red eyes. The mouth opened and a voice spilled outward without the aid of any movements or a tongue.
"I told you to let her go now you must pay the penalty"
The hands gripped Kevin tighter and squeezed him until his face turned a bright red, and he passed out.
"No!" Lydia shouted. "Don't kill him!"
The glowing eyes darted to the side and glowered at her. For the first time ever, she was afraid of such dark creatures. She stood her ground, though.
"I should for what he did to you," his voice spilled through his unmoving jaw again.
"Let the police handle him besides he can't hurt me anymore." Lydia took a few steps forward, "Please, Beetlejuice."
Beetlejuice's eyes faded in their intensity, and he blinked away his angry frown. He stepped completely into the room through the wall, reducing his size until he merely held onto Kevin's shirt to keep him aloft.
"I I'm sorry, Lydia I don't know what came over me" he tripped over his own words.
Lydia smiled uneasily, grateful he was back to his normal shape and size again. "Just take him to the police we can talk when you get back."
Beetlejuice nodded and vanished without another word, taking Kevin with him.
A few agonizing minutes later, he returned empty-handed.
"Lydia?"
She jumped and whirled around to face him, not bothering to hid the tears or fear in her eyes.
"Is is he gone?"
"Yeah the cops are having a field day with him seems he was wanted for other stuff too" Beetlejuice bit his bottom lip. "Lydia I I'm so so-" He was cut off by a sharp sting on his cheek as his head flew to the side.
She had slapped him.
"I suppose I deserved that," he said, not bothering to open his eyes or turn his head back to face her.
"That was for leaving me!" Lydia spat. Then, just as quickly, she fell against him and kissed him deeply. When they finally parted, she whispered, "And that was for saving my life again."
Beetlejuice was flabbergasted. Speech failed him, and so he resorted to clinging to her desperately.
"Why?" Lydia took to sobbing on his striped jacket. "Why did you go? Why did you leave me all alone?"
"B-Because," Beetlejuice shuddered, "I was going to change into something and if I stayed here, your world wouldn't exist today. I left to save you so you wouldn't be hurt."
"Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"
"I didn't think you'd believe me and I was very confused at the time"
Lydia sat them both on the edge of her bed and held onto him for dear life. "Tell me all about it, BJ."
He told her about the cycle the Neitherworld went though every 512 years, and of how he must wander the entire land and destroy everything so another being like him could come back through and restore everything to its original condition.
" I was so scared, Babes. And and I couldn't do anything about it. Nothing just like when I was alive I couldn't do anything for Anóra. Then I couldn't do anything to help you when that sandworm took off with you" he trailed off. Lydia cradled his head against her shoulder stroking his hair and offering soothing words. "I'm still scared, Babes," he said, pulling away gently. "You saw what I just did to that guy I I don't want to hurt you too"
"Beetlejuice," her voice commanded his attention. "How do you feel about me?"
Beetlejuice smirked, "Isn't it obvious, Babes? I'm madly in love with you."
"Then you'll never hurt me." Her tone was final.
"How do you know that?"
"Because you love me. I know you would never hurt those you love."
Beetlejuice smiled, fully at ease at last, "You're right, Babes. Just like always." He reached under her and situated her into his lap. "Tell me how you feel about me, Lyds," he whispered into her tiny ear, "and please, don't tell me you love that ass that tried to"
Lydia kissed him tenderly on the cheek. "No, BJ, I never loved him. He helped to pass the time, and he gave me really nice things, but he wasn't you. You were the one I always thought of, you were the one I wished was there instead of him, and it's you I love more than anything or anyone else in this entire world or beyond. So please, say you'll stay with me this time? Say you'll never leave and mean it."
Beetlejuice leaned into her. "I'll never leave you again, Lydia Deetz, because I love you, and I'll never let you go." He sealed his promise with a deep kiss that lingered for what seemed an eternity.
Gasping, Lydia broke free and placed kisses all over his face. "Oh, BJ, I missed you so much" she whimpered.
"I missed you too," he whispered, savoring every tiny kiss she placed on his cheeks and chin. "Am I still the only one you've ever"
Lydia smiled and kissed his lips again. "I've always been loyal to you, BJ. Don't ever doubt me."
"Of course, I'm sorry"
"You apologize too much," she giggled, silencing him with more kisses.
Beetlejuice broke free long enough to say, "Hey, Babes, did you really talk about me to that guy all the time? I heard him say so earlier."
Lydia giggled again. "Yeah, I guess I did. I kept telling him about the wonderful 'BJ' and all the great things we used to do together."
"You can call me by my full name, you know."
"And risk teleporting both of us into your living room while we're in the middle of something?" she laughed.
"Uh-uh. I never gave your powers back, Babes. You still can't summon me." Lydia's face saddened. "But don't worry, Lyds, I've broken the barrier between our worlds. So now I can travel between them without someone having to call my name. You can too."
"Shut up and kiss me, Beetlejuice."
"Ooo" he shuddered. "You know what I like"
"Do you like this Beetlejuice?" she asked, licking his earlobe playfully.
"Oh, Lydia yeah"
"Or how about" She unbuttoned his jacket and shirt, then leaned toward his exposed chest. "Thisss?" Lydia licked a trail up his belly to his chin.
"Babes" he groaned. "S-say it say it"
"Beetlejuice!" she gasped as he licked at her neck.
He shivered against her body and did not vanish. He laid her out on the comforter and took his time undressing her.
They passed the rest of the night in perfect harmony.
The next morning would be burned into Lydia's memory for the rest of her life. She staggered down the steps to the kitchen, drowsily. Opening the cupboard, she looked inside for something decent for her and Beetlejuice to eat for breakfast. Beetlejuice still had not descended the stairs, and Lydia was thankful for that. Delia stood in front of the stove flipping pancakes in the shape of stars and crescent moons. Lydia would have to try to ease him into any conversation that came up between them so as not to upset Delia too much.
"Sleep well, Lydia?" Delia's unusually humorous voice asked.
"Fine." Lydia closed the cupboard after finding nothing of interest and went for the refrigerator instead.
"I would certainly hope so. You and Kevin were making quite a racket last night," Delia grinned, flipping the pancakes back over.
"Wh-what! You heard!" Lydia slammed the refrigerator in surprise.
Delia's grin spread even wider. "I came to your door to let you know your father and I were back. When I heard you two, I decided not to knock." She picked up the pancakes on the spatula and placed them on a plate. Toting them over to Lydia, she asked, "So when did he propose? It is a bit early, I think. You've only known each other for seven months, but it's okay because your father and I only knew each other for nine months before we got married. Did he give you a ring?"
"I he we you heard! Propose?" Lydia could not complete a full sentence. She silently pleaded that Beetlejuice not come downstairs now. Delia would blow her stack if she found out that I was with Beetlejuice last night and not Kevin! she thought quickly.
"Good morning, Pumpkin!" Charles called cheerfully from the doorway. He removed his shoes and sat at the table, unfolding the morning paper. "I heard about the good news! Did you two set a date yet?"
"Well we I"
"Goodness!" Charles exclaimed, pointing at the cover of the paper. A photograph of Kevin in handcuffs being led by police officers to a van was splashed across the entire top of the page. "'Kevin Harbaugh, 21, of York, Pennsylvania, was arrested last evening when he turned himself in, admitting that he had tried to assault Lydia Deetz, 20, of Peaceful Pines, Connecticut. He was charged with nine counts of rape; seven counts of theft, including a dark blue mustang stolen from one of his classmates at the River Run Arts Institute in Philadelphia, the school he was attending; and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon.'!" Charles stopped reading, shocked.
"Dear, God!" Delia shrieked, "He didn't hurt you, did he? Why didn't you scream for help, we would have heard you! I thought you two were just If I had known! Delia! Delia!" Lydia's step-mother finally stopped her concerned blubbering and fell silent. Lydia took a deep breath. "Kevin was arrested before you came home last night. Yes, he did try to hurt me but someone saved me before he could."
"Well who was it, Pumpkin? Who saved you?"
The door to the kitchen swung open and Beetlejuice padded in wearing his beetle pajamas and bug slippers, "There you are, Lyds. I wondered where you got to. Oh, hi, Mister and Missus D."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Looks of disbelief passed between Delia and Charles.
"Oh, my God!" Delia screamed, fully comprehending at last. "Lydia! That's the most disgusting thing you could have possibly done!"
Beetlejuice stepped forward slightly and rested his arm across Lydia's shoulders. "Hey, what's going on here?"
"You tell us, Beetleman! What have you been doing to Lydia! You had to have corrupted her mind because she obviously isn't thinking straight!"
"My head is fastened on a lot tighter than yours, Delia!" Lydia snapped. "For your information, I was quite willing to be with Beetlejuice last night! He's the one that saved me from Kevin! If he hadn't come back, I'd be dead right now! I I love him!" Lydia screamed, her hands balling into fists and fresh tears streaming down her face.
"Lyds" Beetlejuice whispered, drawing her into him and stroking her silky hair.
"BJ," she sobbed, "I can't Please, let's go"
Beetlejuice hefted her into his arms and turned to leave. He looked back for a few seconds, giving Charles a look of apology. He nodded silently behind a seething Delia.
"This is outrageous! Beetleman, don't you dare leave with her! Lydia! Lydia, you need therapy! This is it's necrophelia! Do you hear me! It's disgusting! Come back here!"
Beetlejuice carried Lydia up the stairs to her bedroom and closed the door, cutting off Delia's intolerable screams of anger. He gently placed Lydia on the bed and watched her roll over and curl into a ball facing away from him. Kneeling beside the bed, he gazed at her through tearing eyes.
Delia is right. This is necrophelia for Lydia I'm ruining her life
Lydia rolled to face him. Tears stained her cheeks and her voice quivered when she spoke. "I know what you're thinking! Don't you dare try to leave me again!"
Beetlejuice blinked back his own tears with difficulty. "But, Lydia, I I'm ruining you"
"No, you're not! How many times do I have to say that I love you! How many times before you'll believe me! Huh?"
Beetlejuice lowered his eyes to the spider web throw and plucked at a loose thread distractedly. "I believe you, Lydia, and I love you too. But what are we gonna do about your parents? Delia will never rest until we're separated. Sometimes, I don't think she even believes I exist. I think that she believes that I'm some figment of your imagination. Now, Chuckie he seems to be at least okay with the idea of us. But what can we do?"
Lydia grabbed him by his collar and pulled him forward with a yelp. "Anything it takes." The anger in her voice shocked him to no small degree.
Anything it takes his mind echoed her statement several times over. Then, an idea slowly formed. He quickly shooed away the stray light bulb that appeared above his head and reached under the bed, feeling for something he hoped would still be there after so many months.
"What are you doing?" Lydia asked still holding firmly to his collar.
"Hang on," he said, concentrating more on what he was feeling. His hand passed over a pair of shoes, a pile of dust and hair that had been swept there some time ago, Lydia's box of CD's that she apparently had forgotten about, and finally his hand grasped one of the things he was looking for.
"You'll do anything it takes, huh?" he asked, his eyes glowing bright yellow. Beetlejuice lifted his arm from beneath Lydia's bed. She heard the distinct sound of metal grazing wood as he raised his hand producing a brilliantly shining short sword. It's song still echoed in her ears as Beetlejuice tentatively set it out in front of her on the bed. The handle was made of ebony and ivory stripes that still shone with resilience.
"No no, you can't possibly that's that's unthinkable, BJ! We we can't, just can't!" Lydia was almost frantic.
Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow. "What are you rambling about? I was just showing you my sword! This is what we can do, Babes." He reached down one more time to produce the sack of gems and money he had taken from his grave. "You can come and live with me somewhere. Somewhere quiet. Just for the two of us. We'll never have to be bothered by Delia. And you can still finish your school and stuff cause, hey, I can afford it!" He sat the bag down on the comforter next to the sword and grinned at Lydia who was breaking into a smile as well.
"You know I think I like your idea, Beetlejuice. I like it very much! Yes yes I will live with you. I'll just pack my things, and we can get going right away. I mean, I go to the Neitherworld a lot anyway, right? Why not just stay there? You're so brilliant when you want to be, Beej." She smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.
Beetlejuice caught her hand before she could squirm off of the bed. "No, Babes. I don't mean to live in the Neitherworld with you. What I want is to live here in the real world with you."
Lydia blinked. "I don't follow."
"You need to finish school. You need to have some sort of solidarity to your life besides me. You'll live in the Neitherworld soon enough, Lyds. But not yet. Not until its your time. Till then, I think I can turn over a new leaf and become a house-guy," he grinned.
Lydia laughed. "Oh, so you're going to make me do all the work?"
"No, you don't need to work at all, but I'm sure you won't want to stay at home all day with only me to hang out with."
"I don't think it'll be that bad, but you do have a point." Lydia thought for several moments. "But where will we go? My apartment is too small for both of us."
"You leave that up to me. In the meantime, we can spend the rest of your vacation in the Neitherworld away from Delia. If Chuck wants to visit, he can, but I don't want Delia showing her face. Not after what she said to you." He paused. "You don't mind do you?"
Instead of frowning, as he expected, Lydia smiled warmly. "I like it when you take charge, Beetlejuice."
Next to come...home.