That was very cruel of me leaving you hanging there but I couldn't resist (XD). This is the last chapter but I can possibly promise you a sequel (on what, I have no idea what so ever but I can assure you there will be more Betelgeuse than Lydia) Anyway, on with the story…
…crush the locket and throw it to the floor. Lydia gasped with relief but at the same time looked at Betelgeuse with confusion.
(Aren't you going to kill me?)
Betelgeuse looked down on Lydia with a solemn stare, which told her he had an idea of what she was thinking. "I didn't know…" he said lowly, his voice wavering with anger, "That bastard lied to me…"
That's when she lost control; tears began to streak her thin, pale, scratched face and she threw her head against the tub with repulsion. Harry did it to her for no apparent reason…he only said Betelgeuse told him to do it, so she would give in to him…Harry tormented her because he was a sick, perverted bastard!
He gently lifted her out of the tub and untied her wordlessly. 'What else can I say to her…I didn't know he'd go that far? You deserved it because you bailed on your side of the deal; a deal that was to save your friends from being exorcised?'
(You set him on her because she was being a decent person, bastard)
Lydia stopped crying because she had run out of breath and strength; the poison was making her exhausted… "I'm…sorry…about your…kid…" she gasped as her eyelids started to sag, 'You…didn't…deserve that…I…understand…why…"
Betelgeuse put his hand over her mouth. 'God, she's barely here!' a voice alarmed. "Don't talk. You are too weak to be wasting your energy on pitying me." he said coldly, not toward her but toward himself.
He could barely recognize the girl, her hair was stringy, and she must have been three times thinner than when he last saw her. With her sunken black eyes and deadly pale skin, she looked more like him than herself. And he was to blame, just because two ghosts ruined his plans of freedom…and he took it out on a girl who could have been his granddaughter if he was still living…on a poor teenage girl that probably hasn't even had her first boyfriend. She probably hadn't even finished high school.
He was frowning at the bruises, scrapes and burns that scattered her body…how every gasp of air, no matter how little, caused her unbearable pain. And she was apologizing to him about something she had nothing to do with…
(Murderer)
'NO!' he thought angrily, 'I'm not going to let Harry win…she's going to survive this…I don't care what it takes…'
'Should she survive this, I mean, would you want to live after you were attacked and harassed like this? Would it be merciful to let her just die?' a voice of reasoning added, 'Do you just want her to survive so you can survive with yourself, knowing another innocent life wasn't taken because of your clouded judgment and wild temper?'
Betelgeuse ignored both sides of him; they had caused enough migraines for one day. "Kid, I want you to stay awake." he said clearly to the semiconscious Lydia, "Can you do that for me?"
"Can't…too…want…rest…let…me…" she mumbled imperceptibly, Betelgeuse glared halfheartedly and zapped her in the neck with some Juice.
Lydia's eyes shot open with pain and her teeth bit down on her lip. "Say anything to me, just keep talking and I won't Juice you. Okay?"
"Why…help…want…death…"
"Lydia," this had to be the first time he had ever said her name without a scowl, "Death is just as twisted and painful as life. Trust me on this," this was true; not once in his afterlife did he see or feel happiness and relief. The Afterlife was nothing like you saw on movies, it was just one big waiting room…scattered with unforgiving ghouls, prostitutes and drunks… "When Mira and Liz died…"
(Why are you telling her this!)
"I felt that life wasn't worth living and well…I let myself die…"
(Which is a dramatic way of saying: you committed suicide, but it was dragged on long enough to look like you turned into a psychotic widow)
"And look how I turned out!" Betelgeuse presented insanely, "Who says you won't turn out the same? You'll realize you crave revenge…and then that's when you start getting crazy ideas. Next thing you know, you've changed your name and are BANISHED TO YOUR FUCKING GRAVE!"
Lydia squeezed her eyes shut, "You…killed…yourself…"
Betelgeuse's vicious mood swing passed and he rubbed his eyes.
(Your not going to CRY are you?)
"Yeah…" he answered trying to hide the sorrow in his voice. "It looked more natural then suicidal so that's why I didn't end up like Juno."
(Oooooo, you said her name without a scowl! Gold star for the lunatic!)
"So…if I die…I will…"
"Yes. And that's why you aren't…" he finished scooping her up and took a golden beetle out of his overcoat. Lydia recoiled as he popped it in his mouth; yellow lights began swirling around their bodies and then…the entire room turned black.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia opened her eyes to see walls of dirt around her; the air was stale. No natural light entered the room; only a candle illuminated the chamber of cobwebs around her…that's when she realized that…
(Oh my GOD! I'm in a grave!)
"Hey, kid you okay?" someone asked from behind her and she let out a shrill scream.
Betelgeuse jumped back with surprise and dropped a glass on the floor; its contents were yellow and fizzed into the dirt floor. "Whoa! Whoa! Jeez!" he swore glaring at her, "You're knocked out for like two days, I tend to you 24/7 and this is the thanks I get? For fucks sake!"
"I'm…I'm sorry…" she apologized, savoring that her throat wasn't raw or that her body didn't throb. Except for the pain in her back, she felt almost back to normal.
(Except you jump at your own shadow)
Betelgeuse snapped his fingers and the glass repaired itself, flying back into his hand. "Whatever, as long as you're in my crib, there will be no screaming. My head is pounding from that fight with bastard boy and there's no relieving it!"
"I'm in your grave?"
"No. You are in a five star hotel with a Jacuzzi and an Asian bellhop who speaks with a thick Indian accent." Betelgeuse retorted sarcastically pouring some more yellow liquid into the glass, "Try the chicken alfredo, it's to die for."
Lydia looked away bashfully and screamed again. Maggots were wriggling in her wounds and beetles were crawling on her neck. Betelgeuse ran over to her pinning her arms to her side.
"Lydia! Lydia! Stop! They are cleaning your wounds! Hey! Will you stop fucking screaming!" he growled but Lydia kept squirming.
"NO! PLEASE NO!" she begged hysterically…
("Let's see how you like being trapped in a grave filled with insects, you're not claustrophobic are you?" Harry laughed as he shut her inside a drawer in the hospital's morgue. Insects swarmed all over her naked body and there was no escaping the torment until Harry felt she had served her time.)
"NO! NO! GET THEM OFF OF ME!"
Seeing that swearing or reasoning wasn't going to help the situation, he decided to do the one thing that he would have never dreamed on doing to this girl: he picked her up with his arms and embraced her in a comforting hug. Lydia almost stopped screaming immediately stunned at what was happening and the fact that she was actually enjoying being smothered by the ghoul. Betelgeuse also experienced the twisted feelings of affection.
(What the hell is wrong with you? Is this like a deranged soap opera? The only reason you are feeling this is because she's venerable and weak and the big macho Betelgeuse is strong manly…)
(Go breath down someone else's back for a while will ya!)
"God Lydia. I'm sorry." he whispered with serenity, "If there is anything I can do for you, just tell me."
"Can you like…go back time and change it so I'm not in an asylum?"
(What do I look like Marty McFly?)
"Sorry, not yet."
"Can you at least get somebody who will believe this entire story to help me out?" Lydia mumbled putting her head against his chest sleepily.
"How about the Maitlands? Though I don't think they'll do back flips if they see you in the model with me." Betelgeuse answered lying Lydia back down on the bed.
"Could you?"
"I can catch their attention but you'll have to make sure they listen…I didn't exactly leave the best impression on them the last time we conversed."
Lydia laughed weakly and nodded, "Just let me rest for a minute…" she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Betelgeuse flicked the beetles off of her and Juiced away the maggots. He wiped a stray hair from her face before taking in he was having strong feelings toward her.
'What the hell is wrong with me?' he cursed, 'My wife was murdered by the same sicko that attacked Lydia, and now I'm caring about this kid?'
(You rescued her and nursed her back to health, didn't you? You must feel something toward her.)
'God, since when do my consciences have a larger grasp what is going on then I do!' he thought with bewilderment draining the glass of the yellow liquid. 'Alright, it's show time Beetlebaby. Let's go wabbit hunting.'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Barbara, please!" Adam began racing after his wife into the attack, "None of this has to do with us!"
"Charles said Lydia saw a ghost! It could be…you-know-what-I-want-to-say."
"Barbara! There is no possible way he survived after that thing swallowed him whole! No possible…"
Adam and Barbara Maitland turned around to see the model's lights flickering in a similar pattern that made Barbara's jaw drop.
"Adam…it's him. He's back…Adam he's back in the model!" Barbara hissed with terror backing away into the wall.
"Just ignore him, he can't see us or get out." Adam assured briskly with a wavering voice.
"Adam! Barbara! Help!" a small voice pleaded.
"Oh my god, Lydia! She's in there with him!" Barbara gasped running to the model, "Don't worry I'll get you out! Beetle…"
Adam stopped his wife angrily, "No! It's a trick! He's throwing her voice!"
"Adam, what happens it is Lydia?" Barbara glared with worry, "That freak could be killing her! Beetlejuice!"
"Barbara! No!"
"Beetlejuice!"
"BARB! NO!" he yelled covering her mouth but Barbara pushed him off.
"Beetlejuice!" her sentence repeated over and over in the empty room, like a never ending echo. Each time the echo became louder and more demon like…the model began to glow and a its light blinded the Maitlands; when they opened there eyes they were at the foot of Betelgeuse's grave…
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Babes!" Betelgeuse said quietly shaking Lydia awake. She turned over with a stubborn groan. "Kid! Wake up!" Betelgeuse lost his patience and zapped her wrist with some Juice.
"Ah!" she yelped and bolted up, "What…what's going on?"
"They're outside…go!"
"What? What about you?" Betelgeuse put a hand on her shoulder.
"I have to take the fall…it's the only way." he helped her up and snapped up stairs out of the grave. Lydia stood there unbelieving what she was hearing.
"No! You saved me! I'll tell them what really happened!"
"Last time you did that, they strapped you to a gurney." Betelgeuse glared, "They will have a better chance believing I was behind this…so get out of here and don't turn back, got it?"
"But!"
"GO!" Betelgeuse hollered pushing her up the stairs. Lydia landed face first on the Styrofoam grass.
"LYDIA! HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?" Barbara screamed embracing her with tears, "Oh my god! Look at you! You're so weak! What did that monster do to you?"
"Monster! He…" Lydia was cut off by a loathing scream as a black and white striped serpent emerged from Betelgeuse's grave. It's eyes were glowing a disgusting yellow and it fangs were dripping with Juice. Lydia's face went even paler than before.
"Barbara! Lydia! Hang on!" Adam yelled grabbing their hands and bellowed: "HOME! HOME! HOME!"
"Foolllsssssss! Thiiissss issssn't over! MARK MY WORDSSSSSS!" Betelgeuse screeched as they popped out of the model; he morphed back into normal with a grin. "Good luck, Lydia." he sighed heading back to his grave. He wasn't lying about this being over…hell it was far from even being started….
Thanks for reading my story and reviewing it! I loved all your reviews and hopefully my sequel is better than this…will Harry return? Will Liz or Mira? Will Betelgeuse become friends with Lydia or possibly more…No idea…your just going have to wait and see...