Aright, this chapter is a little shorter than the last two, but it was pretty fun to write. Hope you all enjoy!

Thank you so much, to all the people who have already given me reviews, you guys rock my world! I plan to reply individually through the message system thing, and hey, if anyone wants to drop a line feel free to, I loves me some company.

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Lydia twirled in front of her mirror, examining the dress with a critical eye. She had been forced to go shopping with Delia, which was always a painful experience. The outfit suited her fairly well, however, after they had spent hours searching. It was scarlet red with black trim. The dress was form fitting and scrunched around the waist in a way that flattered almost any figure, the sleeves draped well past her shoulders and the skirt was mercifully free of tulle; draping with a graceful a-line shape over her hips all the way to the floor. She smiled tightly into the reflection. She had begged Delia to let her wear an all black dress to the fancy dinner she was being dragged to, but her stepmother would have none of it. They had settled on red, but Lydia insisted that at least the jewelry be black.

She folded her arms across her chest and frowned into the mirror. Everyone had said the dress looked good on her, but she generally mistrusted her stepmother's opinions and her father was always a little distant. Adam and Barbara were supportive enough, in their own way. She always got the feeling she could wear a paper bag and the couple would tell her she was beautiful, however.

She smiled a little, a sudden idea flashed into her mind. Oh, that was perfect… she knew exactly where to get an opinion she could trust.

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Betelgeuse lounged casually in the little coffin he had created for himself in the miniature graveyard. Things had gotten pretty boring since Lydia had brushed him off. He had tried a few cons, having convinced himself he didn't need her help anyway, but they had all failed utterly. All he could do was wait, at this point, maybe pester her a bit. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed the girl's help if there was any way he was going get his old un-life back.

"B….?"

Aaaah, there she was. He waited, a shit eating grin plastered across his face.

"Beej? BJ? C'mon, I wanna talk."

Wait for it… He knew it was coming.

"Betelgeuse!"

He popped himself above the miniature grave, leaning against the ragged little tree and looking up at the delicate face that scowled down to him.

"There you are. I have a question for you." She looked a little peevish… or was it nervous?

"Sure, okay. What do you want? Maybe make another deal? I dunno, can I trust you? You backed out on the last one you know."

She frowned a little and shook her head, "No it has nothing to do with that. I wanted…" She paused, suddenly her carefully crafted plan seemed pretty silly. Why should she care what he thinks about the stupid dress? Oh hell, why not ask anyway. If anything she could revel in the expression he'd make when asked one of the most dreaded questions any man (ghost?) could ever hear. "Does this dress make my butt look big?"

Betelgeuse gaped at her, surprise and horror spread across his grungy features before he frowned. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

"C'mon, I want to know. I can't trust anyone else to tell me the truth."

Well, that was certainly new. People came to him for a lot of things, but the truth was certainly not something he could ever sell before.

"Maybe a little."

It took her a second to realize he had answered her question. He had even answered it honestly the first time, and it sure as hell wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"I can't believe you! Huh!" She stormed away in a huff.

Betelgeuse watched her go. The dress may have made her butt look big, but it wasn't like that was a bad thing. He shook his head in wonder at women in general. "Jesus Christ, there is no winning, is there?"

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I think I'm having too much fun with this. cackles