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She didn't intend to put off her visit. It was just that things got out of hand. First, it was getting back to Peaceful Pines after her first bus got a flat. A passenger on her second bus demanded they pull over so they could get a “proper glimpse” of a country winter and, of course, the delay from the inevitable lost luggage fiasco.
The events were quickly followed by being swallowed up by her parents the moment she got through the front door of her childhood home.
Delia Deetz, always so exuberant and cheery, using actual hugs and kisses to keep her head spinning like her ghoulish best friend for ages and Charles with showing off his latest discoveries and trying to teach her how to let go of student stress with his new technique for relaxation.
On top of all that, it was Christmas. The whole reason she was able to make this trip back home to her family and her previously mentioned best friend. True, she could have called him up in her own way, and they could have made the trip together, but a long bus ride from the city with Beetlejuice was just asking for trouble.
Since she decided to play it safe, the ride was decidedly boring, and her vacation continued to be so as the days went on. Delia tried to get Lydia in the Christmas spirit, but the only spirit Lydia wanted was the one on the other side of her vanity mirror in the upstairs bedroom. She just didn't have the heart to ruin the festivities by calling on her personal poltergeist. Fun as he was, she knew he wouldn't hesitate to spike the eggnog or add a few flies to the fruit cake.
On and on it went until Lydia finally put her foot down on going to yet another of Delia's Christmas dinners. She just couldn't take it anymore. She could hardly contain her excitement when she saw a scrawled message over her mirror while she was in mid-debate on giving into her parents.
Babes! Get over here already! I got a surprise for ya!
She couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh at it when it appeared. He always had great timing and promptly ran downstairs to tell her parents she was going out. Don't wait up because she would be back late.
Delia gave her a wicked little smirk. Charles looked like he was about to have an aneurism. Apparently, the prospect of Lydia having friends (maybe a boy) gave her a pass to get out of their initial plans. In Delia's eyes, it couldn't come soon enough. She's been dying to set her daughter up for ages. As far as Delia was concerned, Lydia could go out every night if only a boy were involved.
Oh, brother, she thought. If only they knew...
Running back upstairs, Lydia made a beeline for her closet, going over any and all options for a surprise in the Neitherworld. Years of being friends with a crazed and unpredictable poltergeist taught her that she should expect everything. There was no telling what surprise he had in mind, and with the turn, things took between them before she left for her current semester, ANYTHING can happen.
She pulled out her choice, a deep red sweater and a nice pair of black pants. She added her favorite bat necklace to the ensemble. Applied her makeup with a little more emphasis on her lips. She left her hair down. Somehow she found he liked to play with her hair when it was loose. His fingers would twist the strands while accidentally brushing across her décolletage. She felt a slight blush rise when she thought back on those moments.
Finally, she was ready. Grabbing a coat and scarf, she started on the words that would cross her over to the Neitherworld and him.
“Though I know I should be wary. Still, I venture someplace scary. Ghostly haunting, I turn loose.” She grinned like a madwoman. “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!”
Beetlejuice was running around the Roadhouse, making sure the party was in full swing. Yeah, that's right, A Party. What better way to welcome Lydia back to his world than with a party! He made sure to get everything needed. Food, decorations, a tree... Hell, he invited half the neighborhood.
He couldn't wait for her to show up. Everything had to be perfect. From the living dead room to the kitchen, cuz Babes made it perfectly clear that she wouldn't eat anything from his kitchen if the mold still grew in the sink. He even made a few adjustments to more private locations... you know... just in case.
They left things up in the air before she went off without him, and he wasn't about to miss out on the opportunity she offered him without many words. Lydia had grown to be quite a knockout. The fact that she found his ass funny as hell didn't hurt either. She got him. Like no one else ever had or ever could.
Years! They spent years being best buds, peas in a pod, two of a kind, …. bosom buddies. Well... he was working on that last part. The point is that after all the time they spent together, neither of them noticed the shift in their teasing and flirtations.
It hit them like a ton of bricks when she kissed him goodbye. In fact, the moment she left him standing there at his front door, watching her hips sway while she walked, a literal ton of bricks fucking landed on his head. He loved that girl.
So he needed to get his rear in gear to make everything perfect for when she walked through that front door.
And then she did, standing there with the doorknob in her hand, taking in the scene before her. He could tell this was the last thing she expected. The expression on her face went from stunned to confused to slightly amused. A soft chuckled escaped her before she started scanning the room, no doubt looking for him.
When she finally spotted him, the smile she gave nearly melted his heart.
“Beej,” She called out to him, making a beeline across to the room into his arms for a warm hug. Damn, she was chilled. “What did you do, you silly goof?”
“Aww, come on. You know I'm a party animal.” He transformed his face to that of an elephant, which gave her reason to giggle again. That sound... He gave her a once over with his eyes when she noticed her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink. “That, and I couldn’t think of another way to welcome ya back home. You look great, Babes. Like the best Christmas gift I could have asked for, just begging to be unwrapped.”
Lydia laughed and pushed him backward. “Alright. Mr. Party Animal. If this is my surprise, then let's do this...” She paused. He grinned when she did this. She didn't exactly think that phrase through when she spoke, but he had to give it to her; instead of backing out of it, she turned it into her favor and gave him a devious little smile. It permitted him to take that wherever he wanted to.
Boy, if he wasn't tempted to take her upstairs right then and there...
“Earth to BJ.” Her eyes grew lidded, and her lips curled up just a little more in an amused little smirk. “The party?”
“Oh right, right.” He took her hand. “Hey, Flubbo! You remember Lyds?”
They were off in an instant. Re-introducing her to the ghosts who haven't seen Lydia since before her growth spurt. She had spent the last several years stuck on her side. They laughed, joked, and had a grand old time for hours before the guests started to move on. One by one, they filed out of the Roadhouse, and with it all the loud ruckus-ness that BJ was sure to miss. You don't get that kind of excitement every day.
Then again, he reconsidered that last when Lydia touched his elbow to get his attention. Maybe the excitement was just beginning. Beetlejuice wrapped his arms around her shoulder, pressing her firmly to his side. His voice was full of self-satisfaction in knowing he just pulled off the best Welcome Home/Christmas party this side of the mirror. “How was that for a surprise?”
“That was wonderful, Beej. Thank you. I missed them all.” She glanced off to the side. His eyes followed till he noticed Jacques and Ginger giving them an odd look. Carefully, she extracted herself from him. He wasn't exactly thrilled with that. “Need help cleaning up?”
“Clean!” Beetlejuice grasped at his heart. “I haven't changed that much. Give a ghost a break!”
She laughed. “Fine then. Live in filth” She tapped her chin. “Or better yet. Live with all the cheery, happy holiday decorations all year round. After all, they kinda make the Roadhouse look welcoming and homey. Just the right kinda place to feel safe and loved.”
“That's just mean.” His eyes glinted with mirth. “I like it.”
“You would.”
With a snap of his fingers, he cleaned up half the shit lying around, but the tree and decorations remained.
“There. Better?” His face showed mild irritation at having caved. It faded away when her fingers trailed up his arm. His eyebrows shot up when he realized she wasn't removing them anytime soon, and he locked eyes with her. Her lips were curved in a smug expression. He felt as if his mouth had gone dry when she hummed in satisfied victory.
“Much,” She purred, letting her eyes darken and her fingers trail just a little more till she was holding his hand.
“Bee-a-tlejooze, Ginger and I are going now,” Jacques called out, shattering the moment just enough that Lydia let go of his hand. The two neighbors were still exchanging glances and confused looks, but neither said anything. They had to be reading this tension wrong. “It was good to see you again, Lydia. Come back soon, n'est pas?”
“It was good to see you too, Jacques. Love the new dance moves, by the way, Ginger. You two have a good night!” She waved at them as they finally took their leave. The door couldn't have closed fast enough.
Alone at last. No more pretending, no more eyes. Beetlejuice took Lydia from behind, wrapping his arms around her torso. He held her there comfortably. She felt so damn good now that she finally warmed up. Hell, it felt good to have her back in general. He released a sound of contentment when he gave her a long yet gentle squeeze. “It's been so boring without ya, Babes.”
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she rested back against him, exposing her neck to him. A sudden flush of ideas ran through his head as she wiggled against him. “You have no idea how many times I nearly called you just to get a laugh. I've never been more bored in my life.”
His nose brushed across her cheek, followed by the warmth of his breath. He could feel the shivers run pleasantly down her body. “Only a laugh?”
She giggled and tilted her head against him. “Beetlejuice...”
He took that moment to spin her around to face him. Her surprise was more than enough to make it all worth it. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks still flushed, and her lips... well, those were open in a surprised little pout that made him want to take a little taste. “Ah, ah, ah... don't tell me you wanna go away now. We haven't even had a chance to dance.”
He left that last word dripping with innuendo.
“Heaven forbid” Her hands traveled up his front to rest on his shoulders. A moment later, she leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips were so close to his. Just a slight movement.. a tilt of her head... “But I do have to go.”
There went the mood.
“You're kidding, right?” He eyed her with a little frown. She couldn't leave now. They haven't even had a chance to really get things going.
Her hands slipped from his shoulders, taking a small regretful step back. “I promised I would be back, and it's late already.”
“Damn right, it's late. Have you taken a lookout that window?” He gestured to the window showing the darkness and frost that covered the glass. It was one windstorm away from a blizzard. He was surprised she even came with just a flimsy red sweater. “You should stick around.”
She looked like she wanted nothing more than to go back into his arms when she sighed. Her shoulders followed the motion, slumping dejectedly. She turned and picked her scarf up off the hanging rack by the door. “Sorry, Beej, I really gotta go.”
For a moment, he watched her as she slowly, reluctantly wrapped it around her shoulders. Shivering slightly. He snapped his fingers when an idea struck him and zoomed around in front of her. Lydia paused, taking a tiny step back away from the door. “You can't go.”
“Beej!” She protested.
“You can't, cuz. Babes, it's cold outside!”
The moment the words left him, her eyes rolled while she gave him an amused twitch of the lips. “Look, I had fun, but...”
“Besides, I've been waiting for ya to drop in all week...” He tried to extract her scarf; she didn't resist.
“I know, and tonight's been nice. More than what I expected.” She put her fingers on the hands that held the fabric.
He quickly let go of her scarf and took her tiny pale hands in his. “See, you’re already cold. They feel like popsicles.”
Lydia couldn't help but laugh, “Beetlejuice, seriously. I told mom I was gonna be late, but if I stick around much longer, she's gonna start asking questions.”
“Pfft, you've lied to her before. Besides, you said late. So what's the hurry?” She rolled her eyes again. Her amusement was showing, and he was starting to feel confident that he quelled her thoughts about bailing on their reunion.
“You know Father is gonna be freaking out.” She said as she let Beetlejuice guide her back to the fireplace. He juiced it on to make the room just a little bit warmer.
“What Chuck doesn't know won't kill 'em,” Beej winked at her. “Hasn't yet.”
“My point exactly, I can't really stick around much longer. Beej.” She sat down beside him on the couch. Her eyes lingered on the door for a moment before turning back to him. She shrugged and bit her lip, thinking up some potential excuse. It couldn't hurt to buy more time, “But I guess I can stay for something short like… hot chocolate?”
“Coming right up!” He obliged by juicing them up a couple of warm mugs, floating one in her direction. He took the other for himself. When he noticed her hesitation, he chuckled. “Lyds. I ain't gonna poison ya?”
“That's not what I'm afraid of,” She nodded at his mug, which sported a rather large grasshopper leg sticking out like one of those wafer stick people use to stir their cocoa. She looked into hers, not seeing much except the swirls of chocolate and a couple of white lumps.
Speaking of couple, “Jacque and Ginger looked concerned when they left. Do you... do you think they know?”
“Know what?”
He could play clueless as well as the next village idiot. “Very funny. I'm talking about, you know, us...”
Beetlejuice put his mug down on the table in front of them. “Babes, I don't even really know what page we are on. I doubt they do.”
“They will if I stick around much longer.” She chided him then went back to staring into her mug. “Beej, what exactly is this? That's not a marshmallow. It's practically screaming”. As she said it, the little marshmallow jumped up and out of her mug and sluggishly moved across the floor. “Ok, enough of that.”
Carefully, she put the drink down, bending low while she brushed her hair back with her free hand once again, offering up the temptation. It didn’t help that her sweater was cut rather low upfront, giving him another view he was growing to like.
He couldn't take it anymore. He reached over and took her face in his hand. She willingly looked at him. For a moment, neither of them spoke. He swallowed a lump in his throat before leaning in and taking a risk he'd been wanting to do all night long.
Lydia made a sound of surprise before moaning softly into his greedy mouth. Her being melting into him slowly while they scooted just a little bit closer together. The hand on her cheek found a better spot behind her head when he pursued the kiss just a little bit deeper. Lydia didn't seem to be protesting much since her hands had found a similar position in the hair at the base of his neck.
Moments passed like this, with them lost in feeling just what the other was offering, both seeking more. His free hand was doing some seeking alright, which she didn't mind until she felt his fingers slip under the fabric of her sweater. She squeaked at how cold his fingers were. That alone brought her back to reality, breaking the spell between them.
Her eyes landed on the clock, and she groaned. “Beej, I gotta go.”
“But Babes...” He pecked her lips, trying to initiate their little session all over again, causing her to giggle.
“You know I could just say your name three times and poof right here.” She threatened, but her expression softened when she saw his disappointment. “Then again, for all they know. I could say I got stuck in traffic or something.”
“Just stay over. They won't care.” He was grinning madly, tugging her back into his arms. “Tell 'em you forgot a jacket. Pretty sure they would understand. It's all snowy and shit back in your world right now anyway.”
“And if I do that, they will definitely get the wrong idea. Why would I forget a jacket? They'd think I did it on purpose.” She playfully shoved him when he responded with a raised eyebrow.
“Ow! Hey!” He rubbed that spot.
“Aww, poor baby.” She teased, only to kiss him as an apology. He latched onto her lips instantly, and they were back at it for a few more minutes. Lydia couldn't help herself this time now that she found he liked it when she pushed herself against him just a little bit. Carefully she adjusted herself so that she had her knees on either side of his legs, straddling his lap. His hand finally had access to slide up the back of her sweater.
He was on fire with need for her. Kissing alone was fun, but it just wasn't enough. He wanted to touch, to tease, and to hold her. He wanted more than that, and from what Lydia was doing to him with a swivel of her hips against him... she did too.
His hands parted ways going two different directions, one going higher while the other curved around her rear as he lifted her up. He knew where he wanted to go.
“Beej?” She questioned breathlessly. “I want to stay, but....”
“Just tell 'em it's fucking cold outside, OK?” He growled.
Lydia was stunned only for a moment before she responded with a laugh. He held her in his arms, leaving her very little choice in how she could move, so she kissed him soundly: smooch pop sound and all.
“I missed you, Beej. Sorry, it took me so long.” She leaned her head against his forehead. Her cheeks were flushed from the warmth he ignited in her.
“Yeah yeah yeah,” He grumbled but grinned, betraying his irritation to be amusement. “Missed you too, Babes.”