Chapter Six: Letters, Morning Breath and Kisses

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Lydia couldn't sleep any longer. Well, stay in bed. She hadn't been able to fall to sleep. It was like her mind was playing tricks on her. Everytime she started to doze off, Beetlejuice would keep creeping into her thoughts and her eyes would snap open again.

Sitting up, eyes tired, Lydia pushed her hair behind her ears and stared at the wall across the room. The room was still dark accepted for a stream of light that came in through the window and stretched out over her covered legs, but was it daylight or moonlight? It always seemed to be dark here.

She sat quietly, only one name running around her head. Beetlejuice, he'd confused her so much. Even after she had tried to runaway, he had come after her. He had saved her. When she expected him to be mad she was not disappointed, he'd been rather angry but he didn't stay that way, which again, surprised her. Lydia pulled her legs in and hugged her knees, smiling brightly.

'He had saved her and someone who did something like that couldn't be all bad.' She thought to herself. He was no prince charming but he was…charming in his own…unique way. Lydia let out a small chuckle. For a second she sat, her smile growing wider before she shook her head and it fell.

"Stupid girl."

"YOU'RE. NOT.going.anywhere!"

"Do you really think I want to be stuck here with you?"

Lydia closed her eyes tightly. 'NO stupid don't cry!' she yelled mentally. She was being silly. He wasn't good. He was selfish, and rude, and gross. He didn't have a descent humane bone in his body. She pouted, annoyed for thinking differently about him.

Incapable of staying in bed Lydia threw the sheets on top of her to the end of the bed and dropped her feet to the floor. Lydia looked down at her feet for along time, they were dirty. As she thought about it, all of her was dirty, her hair was greasy feeling, her teeth felt fuzzy, and sand lined the underside of her short nails. Falling back, she sighed. Her stomach growled. She didn't find it odd that she was hungry. After all, the last time she ate was over forty-eight hours ago. Sitting up again she decided to find some edible food. Beetlejuice needed her alive so she wasn't afraid of starving at this point.

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Beetlejuice Leaned onto the hind legs of his kitchen chair. He pulled a pocket watch out of his jacket pocket and opened it up. The hands were gone along with the numbers, and yet he still was able to tell the time.

"I hate mornings." He grumbled closing the watch with a click and sliding it back into his coat. Beetlejuice rubbed his temple, a headache forming slowly.

Rolling his head back he closed his eyes and let out a long moan. He hadn't slept in days and it was starting to affect him more then usual. The lack of sleep was making it harder to use a lot of power and the gash in his arm, half healed, was burning like there was fire running through his veins, and the tender muscles were making it hard to move around. Quiet padding in the hall caught his attention and he opened his eyes, looking up. His eyes widened as Lydia pocked her head around the doorframe.

She came in slowly, worried that she might need his permission. Beetlejuice caught this but didn't move. He just continued to gape at her. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her. One of the straps of her nightdress was threatening to fall off of her shoulder. Dried dirt spotted her arms and legs. Her black hair was packed with sand and looked rather shinny, be it from grease or the overhead light, either way he wasn't complaining. Lydia was becoming a bit uncomfortable as the ghost before her kept staring. She blinked at him in confusion.

Slowly she smiled and Beetlejuice lost his balance. He fell back onto the floor as his chair flipped out from under him. His head hit the tile hard and he grunted in pain, anger, and embarrassment. Beetlejuice closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head, as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. "Are you alright?" A small voice asked from above him. Beetlejuice opened his eyes to see Lydia on her knees next to him on the floor. Nodding, 'yes' was all he did. As he tried to sit straight the pressure in his arm grew and he started to wobble.

Lydia watched him for a moment. She didn't know if she should help him or not. When he started to wobble she reached out and took hold of his upper arm and started to help him up. Before she could really make a difference Beetlejuice jumped to his feet and began smoothing the wrinkles from his coat. Lydia, still hunched on her toes raised an eyebrow at him oddly.

"You going to sit on the floor all day babes?" He asked putting his hands in his pockets. She shook her head giving him a look that said, "What's wrong with you?" Lydia stood up and for the first time realised how tall Beetlejuice was compared to her. As she stood her eyes met his chest, and the top of her head came to his shoulders. Her eyes kept wavering over his unmoving chest. 'He's dead.' She reminded herself. 'He doesn't breath.'

"See something ya want doll face or just browsing?" He said in his usual arrogant tone. Lydia's face turned beet red and she sped for the door. "Hey!" She stopped. "I want just kidding." Lydia looked back at him over her shoulder. He looked serious enough, which normally meant something was up. She eyed him curiously, which made him grin smugly.

"Come on I won't bite."

Lydia nodded and turned around walking back to the middle of the kitchen. Silence engulfed them as Beetlejuice went about his own business for a moment and Lydia continued to stand around watching. She looked down at the floor and the grime that had rubbed off onto her feet. "Hungry?" Beetlejuice said causing Lydia to jump. He was an inch from her right ear, too close for her liking. "You're jumpy ya know that?" He asked backing up and walking over to the table.

"I'm…I'm not normally!" She stated frankly.

"Good! Jumpy isn't somethin' you should be around here." He replied. Lydia walked over and stood across from him.

"And where is here exactly? You never really explained that to me."

Beetlejuice relaxed back in another chair, signed and put his hands behind his head. "I thought that was obvious."

"Oh really? Then let me guess, I'm in hell?" Lydia said sarcastically. Beetlejuice laughed at this. Lydia crossed her arms looking at him like he was insane. No, he was insane. She had to keep telling herself this. "What's so funny?" She asked getting annoyed.

"You…no, no this isn't technically hell but it's close." He paused to wipe dry mould from his bottom lip, making Lydia cringe. "This is the Neitherworld babes, it aint heaven and it aint hell. It's an in-between thing." She nodded sullenly. "Yeah but any way, I guess you're starvin' or you wouldn't be out here?" He asked, receiving another nod.

"Although I don't think you'd have anything I'd eat." She said, lightening the mood on her end. It seemed that Beetlejuice was enjoying himself watching her feel embarrassed.

"Yeah I doubt you'd eat anything I do." He smiled at her. Lydia smiled back. Oddly enough she was starting to like his company, even if it was against her own freewill. "Well pull up a seat." He said gesturing to the chair next to him. Lydia felt entirely comfortable sitting next to him. She shouldn't.

He was much, much older then she was, and not to mention dead. He had kidnapped her, felt her up in a parking lot, tried to rape her, but she didn't feel the way she should. Lydia had never felt like this before and didn't know what it was she was feeling. It was too confusing.

She sighed deeply resting her hands in her lap. How pathetic she must look to him. Wait why was she caring what he thought? Why did she want to know what he was thinking?

"Oh babes." He said, an ooze of lust rolling through his voice.

Lydia looked up quickly to freeze as he breathed against her check. Her face flushed immediately as one of his fingers ran down the back of her bare neck. "Has anyone told you that your morning breath is to die for?" Beetlejuice licked his lips watching her reaction. She breathed in with a fast hiccup sound and stayed stiff as a board. He ran finger along the base of her neck and along her shoulder, smiling in satisfaction and she shivered under his light touches. Lydia swallowed hard; she was scared, not of him, but of herself. Her eyelids slid shut. She was not scared of his touch. She liked it.

A gentle pressure on her lips, Lydia's eyes snapped open and she took in air sharply through her nose. Beetlejuice kissed her harder, letting his hands curl around her ribs, pulling her to the edge of her chair. Slowly Lydia's eyes once again closed, her lips parting as she kissed him back. Beetlejuice felt her respond to him and almost pulled back. He hadn't expected her to kiss him, slap him maybe, but this? She tasted like sugar, her skin burning under his. One of Lydia's hands grazed over Beetlejuice's hallowed check bones, in turn causing him to jerk forward pulling Lydia in closer.

He didn't want this kiss to end, but they regretfully broke apart for air. Lydia's cheeks were bright red, her eyes were glazed and she was breathing heavily. Had that just happened? Had he kiss her? …And she kissed back? She continued to stare up at him hoping for an explanation but got nothing. Beetlejuice stared back down at her, confusion plain on his face.

"Uh…." Lydia coughed looking away. Beetlejuice opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find the words.

"Uh…uhm…fo…. food! Y-You wanted somethin' to eat right?" He stammered getting up and crossing the room towards the counter. Lydia exhaled deeply averting her eyes from him.

"Starving." She agreed with a small nervous laugh. 'Not just for food any more...'

"You…uh...you ok Lyds?" Lydia's head shot up to see Beetlejuice looking at her funny.

"Oh yeah! Just a little…" Lydia said waving her hand by her head.

"I guess we're both a little…" Be chuckled copying her action. She smiled lightly, a soft blush coming back to her face again.

"Hey, ah…yeah know babes I was wondering since I was planning on going out tonight and…I don't trust you to stay here alone!" 'Smooth ya bustard!' "If ya want you could tag along…as long as you don't try and run off again."

Lydia looked at him. "Where are you…ah…we going?" She asked hugging the backrest of her chair.

'Shit…think, think…' "Well I've been needing to relax so I was going to go over to Half Over and watch the moons tonight."

"Half Over?"

"Oh yeah it's the only place in the Neitherworld where you can see our moons and earth's moon at the same time."

"Sure. That sounds nice." Lydia replied smiling. Beetlejuice smiled back in his cocky manner before turning back to wards his cupboards to look for food. Lydia raised an eyebrow at him when his back was turned. He had outwardly said he hated her and now he was asking her to spend time with him? He had to be up to something. Right? Or was it possibly he wasn't as bad as she had once thought.

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Juno sat at her desk shredding papers. She'd looked over a document throw it across the room. Read one line and rip the page to confetti.

"Useless! Pointless! Worthless! …A waist of my time." She grumbled as she looked through the large amount of paper work that covered every inch of her desktop. She sighed in aggravation as she dumped another pile of paper onto the floor but her chair and watched it skater. Reaching for a new pile to look through a knock came at the open door.

"WHAT?" The receptionist, Miss Argentina, pouted in offence but quickly stepped over the papers up to the desk. Pausing briefly she handed over a sealed envelope and quickly left. Juno looked down at the envelope in her hand, flipping it over to look at both sides. Ripping off the side she pulled a single piece of folded paper out of it. Opening it she read,

'Juno,

As you know the trails on a one, Beetlejuice is coming to a close. The news of him bring a breather to our world has not gone unnoticed. Matters to rectify this crime have been put into effect. The counsel thanks you for your service but it is no longer needed in this case. This man's penalty has fallen on us to decide and we plan on punishing to the fullest. The girl, Lydia Deetz will also be dealt with at seen fit. We thank you again for your time. You'll be notified on the trail date and sentence time.

The counsel'

"Shit!"

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A/N: yeah well besides this being late……sorry for any grammar and spelling errors…. I know there's a lot. I would have put more care and thought into it but my dear beloved Jade here wont stop reading over my should. And it's kinda ticking me off. Oh well….don't bug me about it…please? So I look forward to your wonderful reviews. Oh and this would have been way, way, WAY earlier but school was keeping me a bit busy. Tests and quizzes are shit. Well bye guys!

p.s: my friends all hate me! And I hate laptops!!!!!!

Review Fun Corner:

BeetleBreath: I know, it's sooooooo cute. Definitely a different concept then the movie…well not as different then the cartoon…but cute.

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