Bother of the Bride
by
Owlcroft
"They're just about ready for you," said Beetlejuice peeking around the door at his daughter.
Beatie smiled at him and beckoned him in. "Pop, I wanted to talk to you alone for just a minute. Okay?"
He tried to smile at her and nearly succeeded. "'Course. It's your day; whatever you say goes." He came to stand in front of her and got misty-eyed immediately. "You are so beautiful, my precious Trix."
She put a hand on his arm and squeezed it gently. "I hope Mike thinks so, too."
Her father snorted at that. "Who won't? You've always been so beautiful, but in that dress . . . Chickie-Trix, no one has ever been as beautiful as you – except your mother."
Beatie's smile grew. "No one will ever be as beautiful as Mom. But this gown she made me –" she smoothed a hand down the Scarab House original designed just for her, "it's the most incredible thing she's ever done. And the material is just exquisite. Thank you again, Pop." She was dressed in a new fabric called Lueur de Beauté, ivory with the faintest gold lustre. Beetlejuice had worked for three months to get it just right and had wanted to name it Lueur de Beatie, but she'd wheedled him into a less specific name which he knew really referred to her nonetheless.
He shook his head and waved off her thanks. "Least I could do, right? You know . . ." he suddenly turned solemn and looked away from her, "Trix, you know how much I love you – how much we both love you."
She squeezed his arm again and nodded.
"It seems like just a couple of months ago you were born. I guess because I remember every single moment of that day." Beetlejuice patted the hand on his arm. "I remember when you first started to recognize me and you smiled when you saw me, when you learned your first word – it was 'Papa'." He swallowed hard and soldiered on. "I remember when you were learning to walk – holding onto my hands – and I watched you grow and tried so hard to be the father you deserved –"
She interrupted him by flinging her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek over and over again. "Papa, darling," she murmured.
"But now, you're going to start your life and Mike's together and I just want you to know I'll – we'll always be here if you need anything at all. We'll always be your Mama and Papa and you can always come to us about anything – at any time. Oh, my precious chick, my beautiful Trix, my first born, my little girlchild. I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight, missing you." He held her close and her arms went around his back, comforting him.
"Papa, I'll still be your girlchild, your first born. And I will always love you and Mama and I'll never ever stop loving you."
He kissed her forehead and gently pushed her away. "But your first love will be Mike now. And that's the way it should be. Think of Mike down there, waiting for you, waiting to start your lives together. Dear Mike. We don't want to keep him waiting any longer, do we?" he said with a brave but misty smile.
"Papa, I love you so much," she kissed him again. "I will be so proud to have you give me away. And don't you dare cry now! You hear?"
At that point, Lydia entered, looking for her husband and to see what the delay was. "The mansion staff is getting antsy and the guests are all seated and waiting for you. Not to mention the husband-to-be." Then she took a good look at her daughter and husband and produced three hankies. One she handed one to Beatie, one she used to carefully blot her own eyes, and she mopped Beetlejuice's face with the third. "You two," she told them with a rueful smile. "I leave you alone for five minutes and look what happens."
Beatie laughed at that. "I'll go find my bridesmaids, Mom. You look after Pop and meet us downstairs in . . ." she checked the clock on the wall. "Oops! Three minutes!" and, hiking up her gown, she hastened out the door and headed for the stairs.
"My darling Beej," said Lydia, winding her arms around his neck, "no matter how ready we thought we were – we're really not, are we?"
"Huh-uh." He blinked hard and managed to smile for her. "But we don't want to be late for our only daughter's wedding, do we?"
ooooo
Dancing together at the reception, after the newlyweds (and half of the guests) had departed, Lydia and Beetlejuice reminisced about trying for a child, having that child, raising that child –
" – losing that child," added Beetlejuice mournfully. Lydia pulled him closer, shaking her head at him, and he added "I do know it's not really a loss, until . . ."
"And you promised not to think about that, remember?" She rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed slowly in the middle of the floor. "We don't know what will happen, and maybe Mike will like the Neitherworld like my parents do. Maybe he and Beatie will decide they want to come here . . . after."
"We probably ought to explain to him about that, about me, in a year or two. Trix said she's comfortable with him not knowing for a while, but it just seems . . . I don't know, like we shouldn't be keeping secrets like that from a member of the family." He sighed gently. "But what do I know? One thing at a time, I guess, is the best plan."
"I can't wait until she decides to tell Mike about you, about the Neitherworld. But, darling Beej," she lifted her head to look at him, "he is part of the family now. We have another son, right?"
"Nuh-uh. We have a son-in-law and that's not the same thing at all." He shrugged as well as he could while holding her close. "I know, I know. But it doesn't feel like the same thing to me. Maybe it will someday. You know, when we know him more. We've only known the guy for eight months." He sighed again.
She went on. "But we will get to know him better. And he's such a smart person and so friendly. Maybe he will come to love it here the way Beatie does. There's a chance he'd like to come here when he dies, so Beatie would, too."
He shook his head sadly. "I don't trust dreams like that any more."
After a few moments, "Remember the day she learned to ride her bike?" Lydia smiled up at him. "You were so nervous and afraid she'd hurt herself."
"Yeah," he smiled back. "And the day she said her first swear word?"
"Yes, but she didn't know what it meant!" They both laughed softly.
"And then I took her shopping and she asked me about the boneless pork butt and why that wasn't a bad thing to say –" Lydia threw back her head and laughed.
"And the next day," Beetlejuice finished up the story, "she called a guy a big boneless pork butt!" They laughed and swayed together side to side.
Then, "I'll tell you one thing, though," Beetlejuice growled as the music changed. "If that band plays 'Memories' once more time, I'm going to juice them to the Sahara."
Lydia gave him a light chuckle and they continued to dance, slowly, wistfully holding each other.
ooooo
Late that night, they lay quietly in each other's arms, remembering the day.
"I just hope she'll be as happy as we are." Lydia nestled into her husband's embrace.
Beetlejuice shook his head. "Can't happen. Nobody ever will." That earned him a kiss. Finally, he sighed and gathered his wife a bit closer as comfort to himself. "It was as perfect as it could get. Everything went just like she wanted." He sighed again and kissed Lydia's forehead.
She sighed as well and nodded. "It was a beautiful day, and I know we shouldn't be sad about it. We should be happy for her. And for him." She turned her head slightly to look up at her darling's mournful face. "We had her, loved her all we could, and now she's off on her own life. We did all we could for her, and now all we can do is hope – and help if she ever needs it."
He gazed down at her and said, "Will you kiss me, my dearest one? I've given away so much today that all I can do now is ask."
"You never have to ask," she told him, and held him and kissed him the rest of the night. At least, until they finally slept.