A big hello for the end of 2023. I have updated almost all of this now and hopefully, it makes for more of a cohesive read. This chapter is rated M for the end and hopefully, people enjoy it. I am aiming to get more of this written in the next few months so if I could get some feedback I would be grateful.
Lydia stretched, her bones making an odd cracking sound as she straightened her back. She clasped both hands behind her back and pulled them taught, pushing her chest out as far as she was able, making another sickening cracking noise emanate from her body.
"Ah man, does that feel better" Lydia commented more to herself than to Beetlejuice. Her voice had taken on a slightly husky tone compared to how it usually sounded but there was a pleasing quality to it. Her eyes were also heavily lidded, showing that tiredness clung to the woman like a cosy winter blanket. She had loaded up the film on her TV and taken her seat on the sofa. Beej followed her into the Living dead room, and he took a seat next to her on the sofa. Yet, he gave her enough room so that they weren't touching as he leaned his body against the arm of the sofa; his elbow planted firmly on the armrest. Lydia felt a pang of guilt mixed with a flash of longing as a mental image bloomed inside her brain. She could see herself cuddled up to Beej on the sofa, her head pressed against his shoulder as his arm snaked back around her waist. She had to tear her thoughts away from the mental image as it was incredibly appealing. She wanted to snuggle into his willing body more than anything. But she could easily see things going south from there. Especially when his hands inevitably wondered her body if they shared another searing kiss. Quite frankly, she was still reeling from her previous experience kissing him. She had found the experience oddly addictive and now she longed to feel his cold lips and even colder hands press against her flesh. Kissing him had been a breathtaking experience that she longed to repeat, but she knew the idea was doomed. She couldn't let herself slip up and kiss him again. Beetlejuice was not the type of person she should be kissing she knew that. Especially considering he wasn't technically a person anymore. He hadn't been a person in a very long time and she doubted he even remembered actually being a person. He was a ghost and a bad one at that. She had to jog her memory of all the reasons why she shouldn't be longing to kiss him. He had tried to force her to marry him when she was still just a kid. He had tricked her into a deal so she would let him out and not put him back into the mirror. She had a feeling she was forgetting a few of the finer points; as said points now had rounded edges, so they didn't stick as well in her mind.
"But why did it feel so right when he kissed you"?a voice in her head asked. She had to admit that everything had felt as if it just slotted into its rightful place for a few moments when he had kissed her. Almost as if it had been meant to be and that feeling of momentary peace was ripped away from her the moment he had touched her back. All the gnawing, red-hot pain had been better than a bucket of cold water to the face. She knew that kissing Beej had been a mistake. He wasn't someone she could or really should trust let alone have fuzzy and she had to admit slightly lusty thoughts about. So, even though cuddling up to him on the sofa sang to her like a siren's call; she ignored it. Instead choosing to shuffle her feet up on the sofa between them to create a barrier of sorts. Of course, she knew it wasn't foolproof; he could still lean over and wrap his arm around her, or kiss her. But, the barrier was enough so that he couldn't touch her without some effort, and she couldn't touch him without changing positions dramatically. If Beej noticed he didn't let on, seemed like he was too busy dusting down his suit as he settled down in the chair to notice. Lydia pressed play on the remote and focused on the film as much as she could. As always, she really got into the story, and the songs kept her mind busy from lingering on the ghost at the other end of the couch.
"So, what did you think of the film?" She asked inquisitively, eager to move her mind onto something other than the delightful idea of cuddling up to the self-professed ghost with the most. She was glad of the conversation as it seemed to smother the crackling energy between them just a little bit more.
"It was good; I wasn't expecting a musical, of all things. You should have warned me about that one, babes; shame on you," Beej chastised playfully, greatly enjoying the salutary tone of Lydia's voice. In truth, he had half-heartedly watched the film. What had captured his attention was Lydia. He marvelled at the fact that she was practically beaming through the whole film and the fact that she ended up mouthing along with the lyrics of the songs. He wondered just how many times she had watched the bloody film. He had to admit that the blood, guts and general gore were as well done as the musical score. He felt a sort of kinship with the character of GraveRobber, or at least the closest Beej could get to that sort of feeling. It did remind him of his younger days. It made him feel oddly nostalgic for a profession in a life he had almost forgotten. Little fragments wandered up to the surface every now and then. But, mostly, his days as a human and the first few years in the afterlife following that were all a little bit of a blur. Why shouldn't it be when his life had been the tiniest blip in the many centuries he had experienced since he kicked the bucket? He remembered he died young; even for the time, his death was still considered to be an untimely one. He did remember other small bits and pieces that appeared to him in flashes. Water, that was something. He still remembered the sight of the bubbles that formed from his muted scream. A book, he still remembered the cover, the way the ink on every page had swirled and danced as if alive. He remembered that he shouldn't have been reading this book. The words themselves tried to warn him, but even as the ink swam in and out of focus as they danced around the page; he still decided to read through the cursed book. But he tried to forget these glimpses, they were just the lingering thoughts from a man of flesh and blood. A man who had next to nothing to do with the self-proclaimed Ghost With The Most. That man had died so long ago that the world had forgotten his name, his birth, hell, the world had forgotten the man's whole existence. Nothing remembered the man anymore; not even the ghost recognised the pathetic little mortal man he once was. So Beej tried to bury those glimpses as far down as he could whenever they arose. Right now he couldn't help but focus his attention on Lydia and how stunning she looked. He would have said she was breathtaking but he had no breath for her to take. Though if anyone could make his heart beat in his dead chest, and the breath rise in his decrepit lungs it was Lydia Deetz.
He had watched her with a sense of awe. By the old god, did she look sexy when she was excited? He greatly enjoyed the genuinely nerdy joy that Lydia exuded as she watched the musically inclined massacre of a film. He wondered just what he could do to instil such an infectious feeling of joy in Lydia again. Because looking at her right now was like looking at a patch of purest sunshine, she looked radiant when she smiled like that. It made him want to kiss her even more than he had done before. He watched as she said something or other; her actions were animated as she explained some behind-the-scenes details about the film. Or perhaps it was about the photo shoot in the morning. He knew the film had inspired it, and so she was probably talking about that. He didn't really hear her, though, as he was more focused on how authentically happy she looked. He did notice slight signs of exhaustion wearing at the edges but that just turned the beaming smile into a happy, almost dopy one. It was still something special, especially when paired with the slightly husky sound of her voice had taken on now that she was tired. He imagined this was what Lydia would sound and look like after a session of wild sex; tired yet happy and incredibly satisfied. Or rather, she would be satisfied once he was done with her; there was no question there. He wouldn't let her sleep until they were both satisfied and spent. It took all his strength to put that particular, gorgeous mental image to the back of his mind for later. As he focused on something more important than his perpetual lust for Lydia.
However, he realised that Lydia probably didn't let people close to her as she had done with him. Or if she did, she kept them at arms distance, only sharing her passions with them once she knew they could be trusted. He could feel the odd sensation in his bones like something had changed dramatically between him and the beautiful creature sitting on the other end of the couch. The fact that she had voluntarily let him close enough to see her brief moment of joy felt rather spectacular and he had to admit if felt almost momentous. He felt the urge to crack a joke just to see if she would laugh. He was normally quick-witted but he found his mind was blank of everything that wasn't Lydia. Still, he burnt the image of her smile and the genuine warmth in her eyes onto the back of his brain for later. As he knew that damned itch would come back when he least expected it. It always did when there was a lull and then it was back rearing its ugly head again. He couldn't think of a better image to satisfy himself with than a happy, lusty Miss Deetz to help him while away the hours until morning.
Lydia giggled "You can't tell me that you didn't enjoy it" She said, still beaming. Though the smile had started to whither a little around the edges as her need to sleep was becoming more and more evident by the moment.
Beej had forgotten that, unlike him, humans very much had a need to sleep. Sure he liked to sleep, but he had no need for it. Most of the time he decided to sleep because he could, and it was a good way to waste some time. Though of late, he found that he did actually have the urge to sleep. It wasn't anywhere nearly as strong as something a human would feel. It was more akin to a little ache somewhere in the back of his mind that slowed his mental processes a little bit making him less sharp around the edges. He would eventually leave him feeling a little run down if he didn't get a little shut-eye. Almost like he was drunk or had a cold, but with none of the symptoms just the unnerving sensation of a mental delay and a smoothing over of his usually pin-sharp faculties. He reckoned it must be because his powers were still recovering from that damned sandworm. Though he still cursed its existence he realised he no longer blamed Lydia for it as he had once done. He instead blamed it solely upon the Maitlands and he had already dispatched them into early retirement so they wouldn't spoil his plans. Though he had to admit he wasn't so sure of his plans now. They had been so simple when he first started this shit. Make Lydia fall in love with him, make her bend to his every whim and overall make her pay for not fulfilling her end of the bargain that had been forged so many years before. But, now his motives even to him felt muddled as if he had been shaken up in a snow globe. He couldn't tell what was up or down anymore when it came to his plans. He couldn't figure out if he should stick to them or let them wither where they lay. He was ripped from his thoughts by Lydia getting his attention. She had moved from the sofa and was now standing, leaning against the door frame to the living (dead) room.
"When the fuck did that happen" he pondered as she got his attention once more. he quickly rose to his feet and closed some of the distance between them so she was on one side of the door frame and he was on the other.
"Right I'm going to bed, do you want me to show you the guest bedroom?" Lydia asked, yawning as she stood. Her eyes had a slight glaze to them that Beej decided must be an indicator of her need to sleep. He had to admit she did look rather adorable like this. He kind of wanted to just scoop her up in his arms and carry her off to bed. Of course, he would then climb into bed with her. Oh, the temptation to do that was great, but he managed to resist that particular temptation.
"Why don't you show me your room a little more Babes? You have that huge bed all to yourself, wouldn't you prefer a warm, willing body to hold you close so we can while away the hours?" he asked with a grin
"Well first of all you're not warm, you're the opposite of warm both physically and emotionally" Lydia shot back as she remembered the delightful chill he had given her when he had held her close.
"You're right, but I am willing; very willing. You know, I don't need to sleep like all those other folks who will let you down. Just imagine all the naughty things I could do to you if you let me join you in that big bed of yours" he said lifting his eyebrow suggestively at Lydia. He knew it was a long shot but he wanted her to know just how great of a lover he could be if only she let him close again.
Lydia leant in towards him so that there was very little space between them. She eyed him up and down longingly and for a moment Beej thought she was going to kiss him. Instead, she simply fixed him with a pointed look and she hissed.
"I think we both know that's not going to happen" Lydia whispered though a voice in her head told her "Oh it will happen, it's inevitable you and him. Give in and sleep with the ghost you know you want to".
She had to admit that the voice was true a part of her wanted it, wanted him. She wasn't sure what had flipped the switch, she had gone from hating the man and being disgusted by his mere existence; to now oddly attracted and drawn to the ghost. But the switch didn't seem like it would reflip any time soon. Too much had happened between them and she knew he felt it too. He seemed different somehow in a way she couldn't quantify. But, for now, she would deny the pull and the overwhelming feeling of attraction she felt towards him.
"Still that was a valiant try all the same. Just don't make me regret leaving you out of the mirror tonight okay" she uttered as she tried to ignore the radiating cold she felt whenever this strange voice took control. Her spin was alight with electricity and she wasn't sure why.
She tried to hide her discomfort with a slight roll of her eyes. Though Beej could detect a slight smirk on her face which she hid behind her hand as she yawned.
"So, you're saying you don't want me back in the mirror?" Beej asked a mix of suspicion and curiosity was evident not only in his voice but his demeanour. He eyed Lydia quizzically, she had to have some sort of ulterior motives going on. He half expected her to pull the rug out from under him at any minute as he was used to people double-crossing him.
"Why should I?" she said eyeing him straight back as she leant heavily on the door frame again. She could easily see this becoming an argument and she really didn't have the energy for that. She knew she could always put Beej back in the mirror if needs be. But, she hoped she wouldn't need to do so. She hoped it was obvious that she was going out of her way to trust him. Leaving him alone at night and trusting him not to get into devious shit while she was asleep was quite the risk but it was one she was willing to take.
"No," BeeJ replied defensively crossing his arms and glowering at the black-haired beauty before him. By to gods did he want to lean in just an inch closer so he could steal her mouth in a sizzling kiss? But he resisted the urge as he felt like if he tried anything right now he would end up with a black eye, or worse; imprisoned back into that accursed mirror.
"Well then don't make me regret this decision alright? Follow me and just don't get into shit okay. I'm too tired for any bullshit tonight and if you want to see any of the girls at the shoot tomorrow then you will actually stay out of it. You can wander the house if you want, hell go play in the model village in the attic for all I care. Just stay out of my room" Lydia said sternly.
"Jeez Babes what crawled up your ass and died?" she gave him a withering look back in return and he instantly regretted the snarky, off-the-cuff remark.
He folded quicker than a deck of cards, a moment ago she was smiling as sweet as the sun and now she was pissed off at him. He realised he ruined things and he needed to backtrack if things were to go as planned.
"Alright, fine! I'll stay out of your room, only because of the sweet babes at the shoot tomorrow" he said though at the moment his thoughts were still dominated by one person only and the amazing depth of her large brown eyes.
Beej obliged and followed her up the stairs. He couldn't help but watch her arse as she ascended the stairs. By the time they were at the landing the damned Itch had returned in full force. Beej contemplated just pressing Lydia against her bedroom door and giving her one hell of a good night kiss. It would certainly wake her up and hopefully, she would invite him to stay the night by her side. Though if he had his way there would be very little sleep involved with this particular plan. Except for the next thing Lydia said blindsided him.
" Look, I know you don't have to sleep like I do, but I know you like to anyway " Lydia said with a slight yawn.
" It makes you feel more grounded, more in touch with yourself and your magic. That's why you sleep, it's why you eat too " She mentioned casually as she reached out to touch his shoulder. Her fingers instantly warmed his body just a little. Her warmth was intoxicating and he felt the urge to wind his arm back around her waist, but her words stopped him in his tracks.
" It's the routine of it all. It's soothing in a way. You get all the good parts of being human; especially the gluttony, and the sin. You get to push them to the extreme. But, you have none of the downsides that come with flesh, do you?" She asked before continuing the bizarre line of thought.
" Humans, we're fragile little things, we break so easily from so many things" . Lydia's words were begining to sound almost robotic as she said them. It was almost as if she was just a puppet being told what to say.
As Beetlejuice watched her he noticed a strange cloudy gloss to her eyes as if a deep fog had taken over her beautiful chocolate eyes. It seemed more than a little unnatural and the presence of such an obvious sign of magic disturbed him greatly. But again he couldn't detect anything. There was no thrum in the air, no crackle or the slightest hint of magical residue he could trace. Whatever had taken hold of his dear Lydia was powerful shit, probably old as well if he had to guess. It was as if she was in a trance for a while as she spoke, unaware of how much her words would affect him. Or quite how square she had hit the nail on the head.
" That's why when we make a connection, a real one, it burns like a supernova, it's brilliant while it lasts, but it's over so quickly. It must be such a shame, to feel like you can never have that kind of genuine yet fleeting connection with someone. After all that kind of connection is too human for a ghost, like you" .
It genuinely shook Beej and he liked to think he was unshakable, a lot of his persona was a man in total control of himself and his powers, yet here was Lydia making him feel oddly seen. He was unsure if he liked this new feeling or not. He certainly hadn't expected her to dissect him like that and so accurately too. Good god, did he want to sin with Lydia and explore all the perks of her flesh? He wanted to pin her up against the wall and fuck her brains out. But, he could see how tired she was, he could feel it too. The exhaustion was now radiating off her like a wave and it made him feel a little tired too though he wasn't sure why.
Lydia seemed to stop where she was for a moment. She blinked heavily as if just coming too from some sort of fever or a dream. She swayed slightly as she stood in the doorway. It looked as if she was about to fall at any second.
"I was...what was I saying?" She muttered adding "Oh, so dizzy" under her breath.
Beej snaked his arm around her waist as he had the sudden alarming realisation that Lydia was probably about to faint. The baffling yet eerily accurate words hadn't been her own, that much was evident. It was almost like something had been working through her. Yet he couldn't sense any Juice except his own. He couldn't help but wonder what had caused this moment of clarity in Lydia. It was like when her defences were down Lydia could see him for who he truly is. He honestly wasn't used to anyone seeing the real him so he wasn't sure how to reply. Yet he knew she needed him in this moment so he made sure that he was ready if she did fall.
"Are you alright babes?" he asked his eyebrows knotted together in a frown as he looked at Lydia concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine, I just...I'm just, kind of exhausted all of a sudden ya know." Lydia breathed as her head came to rest on Beej's shoulder for just a moment. She was aware of his grip around her waist and the cold from his hands felt wonderful. Even through her clothes, she could feel it and it was amazing as she was too warm all of a sudden and so tired that thinking felt like she was wading through congealing porridge. Lydia was blissfully unaware of the fact she had tapped into something much bigger than herself and so the reason she felt so strange now was the normal toll such things had on the human body.
Lydia looked rather adorable as she leaned on Beej's shoulder her eyes heavily lidded as if sleep was mere moments away. He didn't remember thinking a single thing was adorable until now. But, somehow Lydia had bought that feeling out of him. He still had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. He reasoned it away that it would wake her up a little bit. But, he could physically see the exhaustion evident in every inch of her body. "Even her hands look tired" he mused to himself, though he was unsure what tired hands generally looked like, hers most certainly fitted that category. So he decided to guide her to her room.
"Babes are you alright?" he asked still concerned about her, but honestly he would be happy to hold her all night if that's what she wanted. For the first time in his un-life, he was actually concerned about the living. Not any living mind you, just the woman wrapped up tightly in his arms. Everyone else could go to hell kicking and screaming but he was determined to help this particular human back to bed.
Lydia made a noise of protest at the fact they were moving at all. So, instead, Beej clicked his fingers and they floated into Lydia's bedroom. The door opened automatically as they approached.
"Thank you, that helped a lot" Lydia said unravelling Beej's arm from around her waist. Yet she still sounded as if she was about to drop at any second.
"Your room is to the right, I'll see you in the morning" she practically dismissed him as she stood awkwardly, swaying slightly with the effort it took to stand.
"Well g'night babes," he said as he watched her egal-eyed as she threw back the bed covers and climbed into bed. He had hoped to catch a glimpse of her as she was changing but it would seem she was so tired that she was going to sleep in her clothes. But, at least she hadn't called him back into the mirror which was a huge plus. He hoped it showed him that she still trusted him in some way which he was glad of. He slowly floated away in the direction she had pointed in. Gliding through walls it was easy enough to find the spare bedroom that he had decided would be his room from now on. It wasn't quite the same as sharing the bed with Lydia. Something that he longed for more than he would like to admit. But, it would do nicely. He settled down in the bed, his suit vanishing from his body leaving him clad in a pair of faded crimson boxer shorts.
He tried to sleep, but his mind was a whir with all things Lydia. A lot had happened between them today things felt different now between them. There was an heir of sexual tension between them, he knew she felt it too; she had to. He had never found anyone this enchanting before, to say he found Lydia appealing was understating things. It was like every part of Lydia sang to him, welcoming him home as if he had been adrift in the endless ocean of time. He admitted it, he had been adrift, for far too long. Is that why Lydia felt like home? He wasn't sure, he couldn't tell up from down when he was with her now, all because of that kiss. The feeling of her lips had been incredible and the feeling of her willing body pressed against him. He played it through in his head. Everything had been so perfect, he could feel the heat radiating off her in waves. He had been so close to his prise and he had no doubt that if he kissed down her neck and onto her cleavage she would have let him. But no, he had snaked his hand up her back and that ruined everything. He couldn't wrap his brain around why she would shut him down when everything felt so right. He knew she could feel it too; there had been magic between the pair that much was undeniable. So he focused on what could have happened had he not touched her back.
He closed his eyes as the scene of what should have happened bloomed in his mind.
Lydia's voice hitched as she let out a moan of his name only to find his mouth crushing against hers in a molten kiss. Her intoxicating warmth brought feelings to his body that he had long forgotten. Her lips tasted of black cherries and dark chocolate and were incredibly appealing. He imagined her gasping breaths as he massaged her breasts, her nipples hardening through the flimsy red fabric of her pyjama top. He imagined her eyes darkening with desire as he pressed his erection eagerly against her. He imagined her eyes widening and her nibbling her cherry-flavoured lips. He could practically hear her voice as he released himself from his boxer shorts.
"Please Beej I need you" she purred. His hand encircled his manhood eagerly, while he imagined Lydia falling to her knees with similar gusto. He imagined her unzipping his trousers, only for him to click his fingers and his outfit disappeared altogether. Leaving him naked in front of Lydia. She nodded in approval of his little bit of juice and his naked form. He imagined her hand eagerly pumping away at his waiting member as she began to languidly lick at his helm. He imagined a muffled yell of surprise as he thrust himself deeply into Lydia's mouth, in one smooth motion making her take almost all of him. He let out a groan of pleasure at the idea of her brown, doe eyes looking up at him with a hint of fear. That was almost enough to tip him over the edge and he had only just started. The fantasm of Lydia would quickly take all she could of his manhood. No doubt she would take his considerable size in her stride as she soon acclimatised to his body. He moaned again letting out a sigh of need as he imagined her continuing. Her head bobbed up and down as she took him into her throat slickly. She surfaced every now and then for breath and to swirl her tongue against his sensitive helm. Only to grin up at him as he shuddered at the amazing feeling. He huffed with effort as he imagined her tongue languidly licking up the growing moisture at his tip before she went back down so he could plunder the depths of her throat.
The thought of spilling his seed in Lydia's awaiting throat was too much for him to take. His hips stuttered as he came into his hand. He had never finished so quickly before. He imagined Lydia licking her lips with a smirk as she eyed him both hungrily and suggestively. God, what he would do to that woman. He still wanted more of her despite the fact he was very much spent for now. He quickly found that surprisingly the infernal itch had been apeased for now. He looked down at the sticky mess he found himself in and he quickly juiced away any lingering traces as he lay back on the bed. He suddenly hated the feeling of his boxers as he reseated himself back within them. He considered ridding himself of the garment once and for all as he still wanted to continue the scenario in his head. He found he greatly enjoyed the feeling of the soft sheets against his skin as he couldn't remember the last time he had been in an actual bed let alone one so soft. The sheets smelt of Lydia, they had a smell of fresh laundry with the slightest hint of frosted berries, like the scent that danced up from Lydia's soft flesh. His mind began imagining her again naked in the bed next to him. Her nipples stiff peaks thanks to the cold winter air. But, he was soon bought out of his lusty thoughts as he heard a noise.
"Beetle..." It sounded like a whisper across the wind, so quiet and lithe that he almost thought he was imagining things. He quickly shook his head thinking his mind must be playing tricks on him.