Dreams for Breakfast
by
Owlcroft

Beetlejuice dispels Lydia's bad dream, but she fulfills a dream of his.

Beetlejuice kept one part of his mind alert for Lydia and when he sensed her finally getting out of bed, he started a fresh pot of coffee. Several minutes later, when she came down the stairs to the kitchen, he had it ready for her at the table. He was concentrating on his own re-filled mug, untasted in front of him, as she entered.

"Do you know what time it is?" Lydia was still trying valiantly to wake up completely. "I said get me up at 8!"

"I know," was the quiet reply.

Lydia sat down at the table and sampled her coffee. "Is there a good reason I'm going to be late starting work today?" She was clearly making an effort to be calm.

Beetlejuice nodded, very slightly. "I thought so. You've been overdoing, babes. And last night you . . . you didn't sleep well. You needed your rest this morning." He idly stirred sugar into his tepid coffee then looked at it with distaste. "I know you're trying not to be mad, but if you want to yell at me, go ahead."

"No, I'm not going to yell at you," she sighed. "I understand what you're saying, and I appreciate it. Beej, really, I do appreciate it. But this fall line is extremely important. I have people in New York waiting for the designs and I need to get this done, and done on time." She rubbed her forehead and sipped at her coffee. "Please don't let me oversleep again, okay?"

"Do you . . . do you remember dreaming last night?" He avoided her eyes and pretended great interest in his now-cold coffee.

Lydia frowned, then her eyes widened and she drew in a sharp breath.

"I let you sleep because you kept having a bad dream. Over and over again." He'd finally gotten bored with his coffee and got up to dump it in the sink. With his back to her, he said, "You kept saying my name, like you were angry or upset, telling me not to do something – 'Don't! Please don't!' you kept saying." He rinsed out his mug then set it in the sink. "Over and over, the same dream; the same nightmare."

With her head in her hands, she didn't see him turn toward her and wince at her obvious unhappiness.

"I tugged at the blanket to get you out of it without waking you up all the way. After the first three times, that didn't work. I had to keep waking you up, Lyds, so you'd stop dreaming." He stopped talking and stood by the sink, not moving, waiting for her reaction.

"I . . . remember." Lydia covered her eyes with her hands. "I dreamed you were tired of me being so busy and never spending any time with you. That I was so focused on getting the designs done that you thought the business means more to me than you do and you were upset and hurt and I was begging you not to be angry with me, to give me one more chance . . ."

Beetlejuice bit his lip, but said nothing, staying still.

"Oh, my Beej," she sighed. "My subconscious always comes back to bite me in my dreams, doesn't it?"

He shrugged. "Might be true for all of us." He held out his arms to her and Lydia got up and came to him at once.

"Have I been awful to you these last couple of weeks? Tell me the truth." She pushed her head under his chin.

He shook his head and kissed the top of her head. "No! This is important to you and I know that. And I support that, support you. I know you're the one with the smarts and the looks and the . . . focus," he gave her a small smile at that word, "and the talent, and the ambition and all. But, babes, I do kind of have the right to worry about you. Don't I?"

"Yes," she sighed again. "You do, and I think you always have."

"So, I do worry about you. About you pushing yourself too hard sometimes. About your health. And I don't like worrying about you. I don't like how it feels." He turned his head so his face rested against her hair. "You told me when we were just starting out that I can ask you to back off when you do this. So, I guess, I'm asking. Please, heart's own, take it just a little easier. You are everything I want and need and I can't let anything happen to you."

"But, my darling, you're wrong." Lydia shook her head slightly. "About all of it. You're the one with the brains and the focus –"

He shook his head against her hair vehemently at that.

"But you are! Do you think I don't realize what it takes for you to create the things you do in your lab? And I couldn't do one of your crosswords to save my life. And as for looks," she turned her face up to his, "you are the most beautiful thing in the world to me." She ignored his discomfort at that and kissed him. "Then you tell me you have everything you want and I know that's not true. You want children." She patted his chest gently. "We both know you do."

"But we agreed you'd get your career going first. We agreed on that. And I'm still happy with that decision." Beetlejuice rubbed his wife's back gently then kissed her hair.

Lydia snuggled tighter against his chest. "But I have been unfair to you. I've been trying so hard to get this done –"

"Lyds, you know I could never be that hurt or mad with you about your work. How could I? If it's all I can be right now, I'll be the rug you wipe your feet on. I'll be your silent slave. Whatever you want me to be or to do, I'll be it and do it. I belong to you. I gave myself to you completely." He turned Lydia's face up to look in her eyes. "I'm yours and I always will be. Forget that stupid dream, okay? But promise me you'll ease up some."

"I guess I should have told you before. About why I've been pushing so hard right now and . . . yes, I have been overdoing it. But I wanted to kind of surprise you when . . . it was time." She gave him another brief kiss, then took a deep breath. "I want to get everything all set up, done, established, and then, I hope, take some time off in a few months. Beej, my darling, I'm twenty-five now and I stopped taking the pill a month ago. It's time we started our family." She smiled at him lovingly.

He stared at her for several seconds, then leaned his forehead against hers. "Are you sure?" he whispered. "It's your decision. Are you really sure?"

Lydia pushed her hands into the hair at the back of his head and took possession of his mouth with hers. After exploring it thoroughly for some time, she pulled back enough to murmur, "And I want to start right now."

Her coffee got cold and dumped into the sink, too. Much later.