Queen of the Sandworms

Chapter 20: Through It All

...

Beetlejuice woke up to a splitting headache. He groaned weakly as sunlight streamed through his eyelids. He forced them open and was instantly blinded by the light. Beetlejuice tried to turn his head away but couldn't. He groaned loudly as he tried turning it the other way but found that he couldn't move his head at all.

"Wha?" he finally uttered out as he forced his eyes open once more. His eyes gradually got used to the light and found himself in a white room on a hospital bed surrounded by a heart rate monitor and an Iv stand. His hands were at his sides, bandaged up. On a table sat skulls holding balls of cotton, swabs and tongue dispensers in their mouths.

Instead of his suit, he wore a white hospital gown. The light came in through a window to the right of him as he looked around. There were pictures of places in the Neitherworld Beetlejuice was familiar with.

Just then the door to the left of him opened and a blue faced ghoul with horns a white doctor's shirt came into the room. He held a clipboard in one hand and a pencil in the other. A stethoscope hung around his neck like a noose. His eyes sat behind a pair of oval glasses and his dark hair was slicked back. He smiled a row of long crooked yellow teeth.

"Ah, Mr. Beetlejuice, you are awake," he said in a deep voice. Beetlejuice's eyes tried staring at the doctor, but couldn't seem to focus. He felt very exhausted and the name he said didn't sound right. Beetlejuice. That's his name right? yeah...but it sounded so weird. Like it wasn't his name.

The doctor came up and began to check the machines. Beetlejuice closed his eyes and groaned when he felt another pain in his head. "Wh...where am I?" he tried to say, but came out groggily. Thankfully the doctor seemed to understand. "You are in the Neitherworld hospital. I am Dr. Zeek." Beetlejuice's mind still couldn't seem to grasp what the doctor was saying. The doctor tried to explain.

"You stopped a whole swarm of...black leech creatures..." he said. Beetlejuice stared at him. "Leech creatures?" he asked in confusion. He couldn't recall any leech creatures. The doctor nodded. "They attacked the Neitherworld city...but thankfully our constructors were able to repair it in a couple months." Beetlejuice blinked. A couple months? "H-how long was I out?" he asked. Dr. Zeek looked down at his clipboard and flipped through the papers.

"Um...four months," he said, looking back up.

Beetlejuice felt all his organs explode. "Four months?!" he screamed as he sat upright. Pain shocked through him, sending him back down on the bed. He groaned loudly and clenched his teeth. Dr. Zeek checked his dead heart rate monitor. "Oh! your heart started to beat!" he pointed out. Beetlejuice rolled his eyes and closed them.

Dr. Zeek was silent for a couple seconds, then he spoke again. "You have some guests." Beetlejuice blinked. "Guests?" he asked. Dr. Zeek nodded. "You had a whole bunch of guests wanting to see you when you were unconscious. Left you a whole truckload of gifts for killing off those black leeches," he said. With that, he left.

Beetlejuice blinked in confusion.

Just then, Jacques and Ginger came in. "Hey Be-etlejuice, 'ow are you doing?" the skeleton asked. Ginger sat on his shoulder and jumped on Beetlejuice's bed. "Do you remember what happened?" she asked in her New York accent. Beetlejuice sighed. "The doctor told me I have been in here for four months," he said. Ginger sighed and nodded her head.

"Yes...you have...you apparently used all your energy and powers to take down the leech creatures," she said. "Perolayx," he finally blurted out. That is what they were called! He remembered! But...why couldn't he remember everything else?

Ginger and Jacques exchanged glances. "Um...pardon?" Jacques asked. Beetlejuice told them that the leeches that attacked were called Perolayx, predators from Sandwormland. He blinked. "The Sandworms! Where are they?" he asked with concern. His fuzzy memory remembered a flash of lightning, and the Sandworms slithering away from the sudden noises and movements.

Ginger patted his pale hand, but he couldn't feel her touch. "The Sandworms are back in Sandwormland. They found the opening where they came from. Don't worry, you are safe, Beetlejuice," she said. Beetlejuice looked down at his chest. He relaxed. They found their way back home. That made him very happy. He was afraid the townspeople would hurt them or worse! Lydia would be really-

Beetlejuice's eyes widened and he looked up at the spider and French skeleton.

"Lydia! Where is she? is she ok? I need to see her!" he shouted, his yellow eyes wide with worry. Ginger and Jacques exchanged glances. "Lydia is fine, but you must calm down and rest," Ginger said. "I have been resting for four months now! I need to see her!" Beetlejuice shouted as he tried getting up. Jacques and Ginger pressed him down, keeping him from going anywhere.

"No Beetlejuice! you are not ready!" Ginger said, pressing on his chest. Beetlejuice groaned as the pain came back, but tried ignoring it. "Get off me! I need to see her!" he shouted angrily as he lifted himself up. He kicked and thrashed. Pain shot all over his body as he ripped off the wires and headpiece from his face.

"Doctor!" Ginger and Jacques shouted at the same time.

Beetlejuice shoved them away as he got up and swung his legs over. As he did, he tried standing on his feet, only to collapse from the lack of strength. He groaned as his body touched the icy cold hard floor in his room. His whole body felt as if it were jelly. His head went down and his arms splayed out beside him.

The doctor rushed in, and tried helping the ghost back into bed. "No! I want to see Lydia!" he screamed angrily. Jacques helped the doctor lift Beetlejuice back into his bed, and tied him down with the leather straps on the side. "You can't keep me here!" he shouted. Doctor Zeek strapped Beetlejuice's limp arm down. "Actually, I can, until I feel that you are ready to leave," he said. Beetlejuice yelled and shouted angrily. "I don't want to be here! I want to see Lydia!"

Ginger stood on his chest. "Lydia is fine Beetlejuice! We check on her for you everyday! She is in the Peaceful Pines hospital." Beetlejuice stopped resisting the doctor and stared at the female spider with wide dark eyes. "Really?" he asked. Ginger nodded. "Her parents check on her as well everyday," she added.

Beetlejuice had his focus on Ginger the whole time, he didn't notice Dr. Zeek pulling out an injection needle. He stuck it into the ghost's arm. Beetlejuice flinched and bared his crooked green teeth at the doctor. "Ow! Doc! what was that f-rrrrr" he tried asking but his mind instantly started to go blank and his vision began to go fuzzy.

Doctor Zeek turned to Ginger and Jacques. "Visiting time is over, Mr. Beetlejuice needs to rest now," he said, straightening his coat. The skeleton and tap dancing spider nodded, then looked down at Beetlejuice one last time.

"Take care, Be-etlejuice," Jacques said. Ginger nodded. "Sleep well," she added. Beetlejuice's eyes moved as they tried to focus on them, then his eyelids became heavy and he fell fast asleep under the drug...

...

The slow, dull weeks passed as Beetlejuice gradually gained back his strength. Visitors would come and thank him for saving their city and give him gifts. He would accept the gifts without hesitation, but soon the gifts didn't interest him. All he really wanted was Lydia.

A couple of the nights were hard. He kept having the same nightmares over and over. They always showed Lydia being attacked by the perolayx in the most gruesome ways, causing him to wake up screaming, soaked in his own sweat. Dr. Zeek and a nurse would come rushing in, and always find him in the corner of his room on the floor, curled up into a shivering little ball and crying.

They prescribed him with some medicine to help him sleep better and assigned him a session with a psychiatrist to talk to him about his constant nightmares and help him. Beetlejuice talked to the psychiatrist everyday for an hour.

Soon he didn't need to see the psychiatrist every day and only saw him every other day. Beetlejuice's progression was slow, but gradually improving. A couple times he had a couple meltdowns and argued against the doctors to leave and see Lydia.

"I want to see Lydia!" he screamed at Dr. Zeek. The blue colored dead doctor placed his hands in front of his chest. "Calm down Mr. Beetlejuice, you are still not stable to leave the hospital-" he started. Beetlejuice ran past him, only to be grabbed by a group of doctors. They would inject the drug in him, and he would go limp and fall fast asleep.

He woke up a couple hours later, strapped down to his bed once again. The moon illuminated through his window, pouring across his scratchy white covers. Beetlejuice sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. He was never going to get out of the hospital. It was going to take him forever till he was fully recovered.

Beetlejuce sighed angrily to himself as he laid awake in his bed. Bits and pieces of fuzzy memory came to him. When he was fighting the perolayx, he used all of his energy, which was the reason why he was so weak. He had to be careful. Last time it took him weeks to finally get his powers back. Beetlejuice pondered. The time in Sandwormland was different then Neitherworld and Earth time. Maybe his powers were already back.

Beetlejuice closed his eyes and concentrated. He imagined himself out of his bed. He closed his eyes tighter when he could still feel the leather straps around his wrists. He clenched his teeth and curled his hands into fists. Sweat came down his brow as he concentrated. Nothing.

Beetlejuice inhaled and relaxed his muscles. He didn't realize he was holding his breath. "This sucks!" he cried out. Suddenly he turned into a black and white swirly sucker lollipop. Beetlejuice blinked in surprise when he found himself floating over his bed in his new form. "Wha-?" he started, but felt himself falling. He quickly turned back into his normal self and fell to the floor. He grinned excitedly. His literal meanings actually helped him!

He instantly hovered over the cold floor. He was so happy to have his powers back! "But I cant celebrate now, I need to see Lydia," he said to himself. Just as he said that, the door opened and Dr. Zeek appeared. He gasped in surprise to see Beetlejuice out of his bed.

Before Dr Zeek could say anything, Beetlejuice snapped his fingers, instantly making Dr. Zeek's pants to fall down, revealing his underwear decorated all in little skulls. The doctor gasped in embarrassment, his face more red then blue. He quickly pulled them back up. Right as he did, Beetlejuice took the opportunity and brushed past the doctor, laughing.

Dr. Zeek turned to the opened door. "Stop him! Mr. Beetlejuice is escaping!" he shouted. Beetlejuice turned and saw a bunch of doctors coming down the long hallway towards him. He quickly turned back and pointed at Dr. Zeek. Dr. Zeek transformed into Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice pointed at himself and turned into Dr. Zeek.

The group of doctors came up to him. "Where is he? where's Beetlejuice?" they asked. Beetlejuice, pretending to be Dr. Zeek, pointed inside the room with a blue finger. "In there! He got out of his bed and is trying to escape!" he cried out. The doctors quickly rushed in and grabbed the fake Beetlejuice.

"Hey! stop! no! I'm not Beetlejuice!" the fake Beetlejucie cried as they grabbed his arms and legs and forced him back into the bed. Right as they were done strapping him down, he turned back into the real Dr. Zeek.

"Stop him!" Dr. Zeek shouted at the surprised doctors. The group of doctors surrounding the bed turned and saw the fake Dr. Zeek, just as he transformed back into the real Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice threw his head back and laughed at the shocked looks on the doctors' faces as he shut the door. The doctors pounded on the door as they tried opening it, but it wouldn't budge.

Beetlejuice laughed as he floated down the long hallway and out of the hospital. Right when he got out of the revolving doors, his hospital gown changed and he was back in his signature black and white striped suit. He sighed, feeling like himself again.

Then, his emerald green eyes flickered when he saw a beetle crawling along the cracked sidewalk. He quickly snatched it up and popped it into his mouth. The beetle's shell crunched inside his mouth as he chewed. He licked his lips happily with his long striped green tongue and sighed once again. Now, he felt like himself again.

...

Lydia laid in the hospital bed. It was similar to the white room Beetlejuice was in, but less dead. She wore a hospital gown as she laid sunny side up. Around her bed were monitors and machines checking her heart rate, pulse, breathing. Everything, to make sure she was allright. Her dark eyes were closed as she slept soundly. Her long black hair laid around her pale china doll face. The morning sun came up gently letting its rays shine through the blinds to her.

Beetlejuice watched her through a mirror on a cabinet across the room. He was so excited to see her, but frustrated that he couldn't touch her. As he watched her, he wasn't sure whether to wake her or not. Fortunately he didn't have to choose. The sun woke her up instead. Lydia groaned softly and rubbed her tired eyes. Beetlejuice smiled softly as he watched her gradually wake up.

"Hey babes," Beetlejuice said softly to her through the mirror. Lydia blinked her chocolate brown eyes open when she heard his voice. "Beetlejuice?" she asked. Beetlejuice smiled a small sad smile. "Say my name two more times and I can give you a hug," he said. Lydia smiled weakly. "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice," she said. Beetlejuice smiled and came through the mirror. He came up and gave her a hug.

"How are you feeling?"

Lydia sighed and stopped hugging him so she could face him. "Tired...I have been here for months. The doctors say I'm not allowed to leave," she said. Beetlejuice nodded. "Same with me," he said. Lydia blinked in confusion. "But you are here!" she said. Beetlejuice rubbed the back of his head as he looked down.

"Heh...I might have...decided to leave a little early," he said. Lydia gave him a look and rolled her eyes. "Oh Beetlejuice," she sighed shaking her head, but had a small smile on her face. Beetlejuice noticed and smiled a small smile as well.

"Hey! I had an excuse babes! I wanted...erm..." his voice faltered. "I wanted to see you," he said. Lydia stared at him, then her smile became bigger. "Aw. You are a good friend, BJ," she said, making Beetlejuice looks down at his feet. "Hehe, yeah..." he said. Inside he was so happy to see her smile at him again. It made him feel good inside.

Just then, there was a knock on Lydia's door. Beetlejuice panicked and quickly turned into a black and white striped coat rack. The door opened and in came a female doctor and Lydia's parents. "Lydia? You have some visitors," said the doctor. She was a young doctor in her mid twenties. She had dark skin and her black hair was pulled back tightly in a bun. Lydia's mom, Delia, brushed past her and embraced Lydia with a big hug, while Lydia's dad, Charles, waited till he could squeeze in for one.

"Morning, Lydia, how are you feeling?" asked Charles over Delia's wailing. Lydia smiled. "I'm feeling great, dad, I woke up and instantly felt better," she said as she quickly glanced over at the unusual coat rack in the corner. The coat rack opened its yellow eyes and smiled at her. The female doctor checked Lydia's charts on the clipboard and wrote a couple things down.

"That's good to hear, Miss Deetz. You are doing very good here, but we will need you to stay here for one more week before we can allow you to go back home," The doctor said. Lydia nodded. "Ok."

The doctor smiled, then began asking her a couple more questions before giving her some medicine.

After all three adults were done talking to her, they left, and Beetlejuice turned back and sat on the edge of her bed. "So. You have one more week?" he asked. Lydia nodded as she rested her head against the pillow. Beetlejuice nodded. They were quiet for a minute. Beetlejuice looked down at his hands in his lap before looking back over to his best friend. "Lydia? Um...do you...Do you remember anything that happened..." he asked her. Lydia knew exactly what he was asking. She looked away from him and looked up at the ceiling.

Lydia was quiet for a minute, then she spoke.

Lydia told him how her parents were worried sick about her when they found her laying outside the house. They took her to the hospital and she has been there ever since. "The doctors and psychiatrists keep asking me if I remember who kidnapped me or where I went...I didn't tell them anything...only that I couldn't remember," she said. Beetlejuice felt his insides hurt, making him wince.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked her again; meaning anything from when she was in Sandwormland. Lydia shook her head, "only bits and pieces...I keep having nightmares...of dead Sandworms everywhere...I wake up screaming in the night...The doctors...they come in and hold me down...while they inject things into me..." she trembled as tears came down her face."I don't want to know what happened to me...it scares me just trying to remember it all..." she said as the tears came down her face.

Beetlejuice felt tears come to his eyes. He hated seeing her like this. He hugged her tightly. His throat closed up, but choked the tears down. Lydia hugged him back as she cried into his suit. "Please don't leave me..." she whispered. Beetlejuice pressed his forhead against hers. "I wont...I promise...I will never leave your side..." he whispered back.

Beetlejuice stayed with her all through the days, and even nights. He slept next to her in the bed. A couple times he had to disappear because the doctors and nurses would come in to check on her. Once they were done checking her and giving Lydia her medicine, Beetlejuice would come back and wrap his arms around her once again.

Lydia slept soundly. Knowing Beetlejuice was with her made her nightmares go away. It was the same with Beetlejuice. Having her in his arms made him feel safe and happy. Feeling her heartbeat against his hollow chest almost made him feel alive again. Her heartbeat was like a lullaby, and helped him fall fast asleep easily...but the words that Lydia told him, about the nightmares of the dead Sandworms, kept repeating over and over in his head.

Every time he thought of it, a horrible feeling sliced through his chest. The idea that the cause of the nightmares were because of him...he didn't like thinking about it but there it was. As plain as the black and white stripes on his suit. Beetlejuice felt his eyes brim up with tears as he closed them and hugged Lydia tightly till he was sleeping soudly once again...

...

Soon, the week was up and Lydia was able to go home. The doctors gave her the spare clothes Delia and Charles left for them once she was able to leave. Lydia changed in the bathroom and came out. The doctors made her sit in a wheelchair and wheeled her out of the hospital. Beetlejuice transformed into a beetle and sat on Lydia's shoulder. Delia and Charles waited outside.

"Lydia! Delia cried happily as she rushed up and hugged Lydia. "Hi mom," Lydia said as she hugged her back. Delia stopped hugging her and touched her step daughter's face. "You look more pale then usual! I am going to need to feed you something to get that color back in your cheeks," she said as she helped Lydia out of the wheelchair. Charles came out of the car and helped his daughter into the car and strapped her in.

"You doing allright, pumpkin?" he asked her. Lydia nodded. "Yeah...I cant wait to see my room again," she said smiling. Charles smiled back. "I'm glad you are finally able to come home," he said. Then he got into the car. Delia came in as well and turned to her husband. "Now Charles, don't go too fast, allright?" she said.

Charles sighed. "Yes dear, I will go extra slow," he said. Lydia smiled. She was glad to be with her parents again. Beetlejuice stayed quiet as he sat on her shoulder, disguised as a beetle.

Lydia looked outside the window and watched the green pine trees and rolling hills pass by. The sky was a beautiful blue with a gold sun hanging in the sky and chirping blue jays fluttering here and there.

"You ok, Beetlejuice? You seem quiet," Lydia whispered to her beetle-loving friend. Beetlejuice stayed silent. At first Lydia thought that the beetle wasn't Beetlejuice at all, until he finally whispered back. "I'll tell you when we get home."

Once the car stopped in the driveway,Lydia got out of the car and quickly rushed into her room as fast as her wobbily legs could carry her. Once she was in her gothic, dark room, she closed the door behind her and sat on her bed. Beetlejuice flew across the room then turned back into his regular self.

"Allright, BJ, tell me what's wrong," Lydia said as she began to tie her raven black hair up. Beetlejuice floated in the air as he focused his eyes on her. "I feel that...I need to go before the judge again...and get reassigned my punishment," he said sadly. Lydia stared at him and got up from her bed.

"What? Beetlejuice are you allright?" she asked him. Beetlejuice shook his head. "It's my fault. All my fault," he said as he floated down and sat on the ground. He hugged his legs and buried his head into his knees. Lydia sat down next to him and gently unfolded his arms and lifted his face. Beetlejuice averted his eyes from her.

"All those nightmares you had...all the pain...I caused that...I caused all that..." he said, his voice quavering. Lydia shook her head. "No, Beetlejuice, you didn't. Please look at me." Beetlejuice did as she told him to do.

"It is not your fault. You didn't know the judge was going to do," she pointed out. Beetlejuice nodded. Lydia continued. "And you weren't the one hurting the Sandworms, those..." her voice faltered. Beetlejuice stared at her as she racked her brain, trying to remember the word. "Perolayx," he finally said.

Lydia looked up at him in surprise. "You remembered," she said. Beetlejuice nodded sadly. "I cant forget them now...I keep having nightmares of them..." he admitted to her. Lydia stared at him, then she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I didn't know you are having nightmares too," she said. Beetlejuice buried his face into her shoulder.

"I didn't want to bring it up," he told her truthfully. It was hard enough to bring up the topic. Both were suffering through the same darkness, the same nightmares, the same monsters that none could get away from.

Lydia hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go. Tears came to her eyes as she began to speak once again. "...We have gone through a lot together... and we have survived through it all." Beetlejuice smiled a small smile and hugged her back. "Through it all," he repeated softly.

...

The sun began to go down giving the sky a vivid display of reds, oranges and purples. Lydia watched it and decided to go and visit the Neitherworld. Beetlejuice held her hand as she began to chant his name. In a blink of an eye they were in the Neitherworld. Lydia wore her red spider webbed poncho as they walked down the crazy stretched road toward Beetlejuice's roadhouse. Lydia visited Jaques and Ginger, who were very thrilled to see her out of the hospital.

After they were done talking to the skeleton and spider, they went to see The Monster Across The Street and his dog Poopsie. Poopsie was thrilled to see both of them. Beetlejuice made a disgusted face at Poopsie, but deep down was happy to see the dog as well. The Monster gave them both a bone crushing bear hug.

After that, they went out and saw everyone else that they knew. Beetlejuice was given the same attention as Lydia. They thanked him for saving the city. Beetlejuice was happy for the attention, but it was the wrong kind of attention he wanted; but he smiled and nodded his head because Lydia told him to.

After they were done going all over the Neitherworld city, they began walking back to BJ's roadhouse. "Wow, I didt realize how many citizens were in that city," Lydia said. Beetlejuice nodded, "Yeah," he agreed, holding a couple gifts in his hands. Just then, they came upon a familiar area. Lydia stopped, causing Beetlejuice to stop. "Babes? you ok?" he asked, setting his gifts down.

Lydia stared down at the ground a couple feet from her. Beetlejuice turned and saw what she was looking at. Right in front of them, was the gap, now closed up and stitched up like a once opened wound. Beetlejuice and Lydia were silent as they stared down at it. Finally, Beetlejuice turned his head to Lydia.

"Do you want me to?" he asked her. The sunset hit Lydia's pale face, giving it a yellow-red tint. The cold breeze rustled her red poncho and raven black hair. She finally nodded her head.

Beetlejuice opened the stitched up gap once more and looked down upon the ringet planet's amber sandy surface known as Sandwormland. Lydia and Beetlejuice's eyes widened at what they saw below. The whole place thrived with Sandworms. The ginormous, snake beasts seen weaving in and out of the sands like black and white striped ribbons. They looked like a group of dolphins rising up from the waters and plunging back down. Lydia hugged Beetlejuice happily.

"Look! There are more of them!" she cried happily. Beetlejuice hugged her back, smiling down at the Sandworms as well. He was as thrilled as Lydia was. The Sandworms survived and had regrown their families once more. They knew the Sandworms who didn't survive the perolayx wrath would be remembered in all of the Sandworm's hearts, including Beetlejuice and Lydia's.

Just then, one young Sandworm arched his head upward toward the skies and saw Lydia and Beetlejuice through the gap. Its red eyes glowed as it screeched at them happily. The other Sandworms stopped "swimming" throught the sands and arched their heads up.

They smiled as best as they could, revealing their wicked sharp teeth. Beetlejuice smiled, not affected by their scary appearance anymore. All the Sandworms screeched happily to their former queen and the One Who Now Was One with Their Stripes.

Lydia and Beetlejuice smiled back, then screeched at the same time to the beasts below. The Sandworms ended their screeching before disappearing back into the sands and back to their Nest. Beetlejuice and Lydia exchanged glances; smiling at each other.

With that, they silently got up. Beetlejuice closed the gap back up, and they walked down the winding streets as the sun continued to dip down toward the Neighterworld mountains in the distance...

The End...

A/N: Done! *punches air* thank you all so much for reading and/or reviewing! I really appreciate it! XD I hope you enjoyed reading my first Beetlejuice fanfic. I never thought I would ever think up one. I loved watching the cartoon series and really badly wanted to make a fanfic, but I didn't have any ideas. Somehow, Queen of the Sandworms just came into my head (I think it was because my sister said she was reading Lord of the Flies. That book helped me create this fanfic). So thank you again!

My Characters: The Perolayx, Doctor Zeek, and Edgar (R.I.P.)