Housewarming

This one? Oh, this one felt like the one. Brady looked around at the house the realtor was showing him. This would be a beautiful home for his future. Everything was just perfect, except for the realtor. She seemed a little more eccentric.

"It's really perfect for someone who wants to start a family right away," they said, like they almost knew him. "I can tell you and your lovely wife would be so at home here, that I am willing to cut down the asking price just for you."

"Really?" Rebecca was intrigued. "There's like an upstairs and a downstairs. This isn't like any other house we've seen in our budget."

"Oh, well?" The realtor waved her hand slightly. "I should inform you that the last residents died here, and there were some excessive claims of it being haunted that sprinkled on local TV just a bit. So, yes, I can work with this price in your budget."

"How in our budget?" The woman showed Rebecca the price. "OMG, that's like, the same as the others! Brady!" She ran over and hugged him. "This one, Honey. This one."

"Last residents died how?" Brady asked. He wanted to make Rebecca happy, and this seemed like the next step after giving her the ring. He also remembered the funeral though. The strange events at the funeral. That strange girl. That strange man.

He stared at the realtor. She was a different height. Different hair. Different eyes. She still had a slightly creepy feeling to her though. He gestured to the patch on her lapel. "Is that a realtor honor?"

She simply smiled. "Oh, that's another business of mine. I deal with compromises between personal business. It's not an easy time."

"Compromises? Like, what kind of compromises?" Brady asked.

"Brady," Rebecca said holding him tightly. "Why are you butting into the private business of the realtor that wants to cut such a great deal for us?"

"In essence, my duty is to get things strategically done when someone else can't currently be on their own duty." She had a funny, strange laugh. "You aren't very far from the local college, nor are you far from the hustle and bustle from downtown. Yet, you are far enough behind the trees that you can't be bothered by all the noise. A wonderful place for a starting family."

"I want this house," Rebecca insisted to Brady. "Please?"

"I don't know about the whole starting family," Brady said to the realtor. "We are just engaged so far."

"Mm?" She looked odd. "I have seen enough people to know that when senses start tingling in one direction, it's usually an instinct to something coming." She just smiled. "Little ones soon or not, you'll want a big house for anything unexpected."

"Uh?" Rebecca gawked. "Do you think that like, I'm pregnant, and that's why I'm jumping for this so fast?"

"No way," Brady said. "She hardly knows us."

"She sells to people all the time and has great instinct," Rebecca whined. "OMG, what if I am? We need this house, Brady!"

Brady groaned. The house was beautiful, but this realtor was not feeling right. "Can I see your credentials?" She held her ID towards him. "Miss Second Chance? Is that even a real name?"

"Oh." She looked appauled a moment. "It's pronounced 'Segund Shans'," she corrected him.

Rebecca smacked him on his side. "That was so prejudice, Brady! Her name is foreign!"

"Sorry." Still. She felt weird. Rebecca had fallen for that house though, and there was nothing else that they could afford that could come close to that house.

For Rebecca. He'd do anything for Rebecca. Plus, if that realtor was right and they were both being driven by some kind of need to start a family? Well. Then, that would be their future too.

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Miss Second Chance walked away. This was usually not part of her business; she didn't come to the surface to sell nice houses to evil hearted people. However, the fact that Lydia Deetz would have become a dead shadow if it hadn't been for Beetlejuice, meant that he would not be able to leave her presence for some time. There would need to be considerable help for him to leave her side before he could continue Lex Talionis.

In the meantime, some extra help would be given to make sure the targets weren't lost to time.

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Lydia tried to do what BJ asked. To take it easy on learning the truth. The Neitherworld was dangerous for her, and now she couldn't even walk on the floor.

This wasn't like last time either, when she learned that she was dead. She had fallen through the floor for a little while, but she had made some progress day by day.

This one? It was his hand or juice. Physical contact or magic, not even allowed to touch the ground. BJ had tried to make her feel better by placing her as close as she could to the ground, but it might as well have been water.

She never felt safe even when he was holding her with her juice. Her body felt like it constantly wanted to just fall somewhere. To her home. Where she was probably murdered. By who?

Not helping. She knew that wasn't helping. She couldn't start thinking about that, it just made her want to drop even faster.

Aim higher or he's going to bleed to death.

That phrase too, it played over and over in her head. The light spark she saw in her house was probably a gun, but the scream? That sounded like her scream. And that phrase.

Lydia knew she needed to stop thinking about it, but it didn't mean her mind was going to listen. Back and forth, back and forth, there is no progress in this at all. No one looks at me with a smile, BJ can't manage a joke, I am so stuck. I need to know what happened.

She looked at his hand. Even in the dead of night, he was always holding her hand. He was always there. He would hold me for my entire afterlife. She wiped a tear away. I don't know what's waiting for me, but I can't do this anymore. They were going on months with no progress. Months. Not once had BJ complained, but everyone looked at her like she was hopeless. No one encouraged her to take a step. No one wanted her to leave his presence.

But? Lydia could only take so much. The answers to what she wanted were down there, at wherever she had to fall. The results of knowing, I know this isn't going to be good. I've tried, BJ, I've tried to wait. I can't keep making you hold me forever. I need to know.

Her future, good or bad, it was down there. She had to know.

She let go of BJ's hand.

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Falling. Falling. Not hearing him, not feeling him, not seeing a hand. She was never one to keep hanging on forever like an infant, and even with some kind of peril against her, she couldn't just continue that way.

It had been months. BJ couldn't be tied to her like some prisoner forever.

She saw her house. A spark. That had to be the gun. A scream. It didn't sound like her mom's scream, it was different than hers. Her scream, she knew the sound of her own scream. It was her scream.

The words came back to her as echoes all around her.

Aim higher or he's going to bleed to death.

Aim higher or he's going to bleed to death.

"Aim higher or he's going to bleed to death."

Lydia opened her eyes. She was no longer falling. There was a gun in her hand, and her parents were both standing on the top balcony on the upstairs, with ropes loose around their necks, hooked to the ceiling.

"Don't cheat and shoot above, or we'll just shoot you," someone she'd never seen before said to her. "This is a nicer way to go. You mess up, we'll shoot the balcony from beneath them and they'll strangle to death instead."

Strangle to death? Lydia looked at the gun. She tried to drop it, but it wouldn't fall from her hands. She watched in terror as it started to raise toward her parents. No, stop, don't, don't! Her body wouldn't listen.

Her vision was impaired with all of the tears in her eyes. Why? She wanted to speak, but she couldn't. She wanted to lower the gun, but she couldn't.

She watched as the person aimed a gun at her head.

"No, Lydia!" Her father yelled from on high. "No, you promised you'd leave her be!"

"If she does as we say," the person said again. "If she doesn't, all three of you die."

Why? Why?

"Just, aim where you think it'll be," her father said. "I-it's okay if you don't cut the rope. I love you either way, Lydia."

A game. It was a game? Lydia looked at her gun. She looked at her parents. If she shot the rope they had loosely around themselves, they were supposed to go free. Probably.

Probably. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! Then, she realized there was a gag in her mouth.

She was actually trapped. Her feet were bound. Her mouth had been bound. The only things free were her eyes to see, and her hands with the gun.

There were more voices too. Anxious voices, but they weren't in the room.

She could feel her hands trembling, feeling them raise and lower. Her mother looked completely out of it. She wasn't saying anything. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! Being gagged, he could never hear her.

He could never hear. Her arms lowered and raised, again and again while she cried.

"I'll always love you, Pumpkin," her father said to her. "No matter what-"

Lydia felt herself suddenly being pulled straight up. Wait, no, her parents. Her parents were still in trouble!

She opened her eyes and found herself being held tightly by BJ on the bed. It was so tight. She would almost complain, but she was trembling too hard. "I. I had to."

Before he could respond, someone else had entered into the roadhouse.

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The strangest thing Miss Second Chance had seen. Impossible. When she felt the inevitable fall, she arrived to curb damages Beetlejuice may cause due to the hopelessness of the fall.

Yet, that isn't what she had seen. Beetlejuice stared at her, like he was looking for any kind of help, but he'd already received it. No, now it was her own obsession to know the answer. "Hold onto her and follow me."

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Lydia was too distraught to talk to Miss Second Chance, but Beetlejuice would. When she asked about other friends and boyfriends, he flinched a little and admitted to a spider named Ginger helping her recently.

Miss Second Chance interviewed Ginger, and found the answer. "You say that Lydia was regressing even before she realized her death hadn't been pleasant?"

"Yes. I told Beetlejuice that he should go to the living world and find a boy she liked," Ginger said. "He didn't seem to know who it could be."

Miss Second Chance pushed her glasses up. "You know who the boy is, Miss Ginger the Spider."

The spider didn't understand. "She had a couple of girlfriends, but I don't think it was either of them. She really didn't spend time with anyone else that I know of. It must have been in school."

"Why does it have to be in school?"

"Well, because the rest of the time she was always with . . ." Ah. The spider was realizing it. "What? No way."

"You've discovered it too," Miss Second Chance revealed. "Destiny is an interesting thing."

"But who in their right mind?" Ginger had problems believing it completley. "Lydia is sweet and fun and nice. Why would she ever? Him? Why? It doesn't . . . really?"

"Some relationships are hard to understand. It's not our place to judge it."

"I don't get it. I don't understand," Ginger whined. "Why?" She was practically whining. "Really?"

Now that they were on the same page, Miss Second Chance would use Ginger to create an ally. "Lex Talionis is a very risky procedure."

"I know." Ginger didn't really meet her eyes. "Lydia and her family deserve justice. Beetlejuice couldn't be told no."

"So you offer support?"

"Well? Well, y-you are the one with the contract signing and everything," Ginger blamed her.

"I am the official overseer when things get involved. It's my duty." She leaned forward. "It's not the same process I would use with those outside of business matters." Miss Second Chance was trying to get Ginger to bend. "I wouldn't use it with anyone I care about."

"It wouldn't matter, Beetlejuice wants revenge. I never said to do it, no one else said to do it, he decided it!" Ginger started to cry.

Miss Second Chance was unphased by the crying. "Will you cry like that if Beetlejuice loses himself?"

Ginger didn't say anything.

"Will you pout when he's turned into something demonic and sent to hell instead of living in the comfort of the Neitherworld anymore? Will you moan or cry unfair when he becomes so lost that Lydia falls and becomes a dead shadow?"

"Beetlejuice is very strong," Ginger told her. "He has a lot of juice, nothing can beat him."

"Killing others, one after another, by making their worst nightmares happen. It changes everyone. That's why it is so often banned, it results in nothing good." Miss Second Chance stood up. "Lydia gains justice, and Beetlejuice is sent to hell."

Ginger wiped her eyes. She didn't look at Miss Second Chance. "You really don't think Beetlejuice would be okay?"

"If it was just one, yes. Two, maybe. I have never seen someone remain in the Neitherworld after taking it out more than three," she admitted.

"But, this is your job, and you are just now talking about how dangerous it is?!" Ginger turned it around on her.

"Yes, because I do not get personally involved," she admitted. "Beetlejuice signed everything, knowing all of the risks. Besides, Lydia Deetz would eventually fall into being a dead shadow. It was only a matter of time. No need to get invested."

"Crude!" Ginger yelled at her. "You have no confidence in Lydia at all?"

"No, and she already became it," Miss Second Chance revealed. "Officially, she became a dead shadow."

Of course, Ginger was confused. "She was close, but Beetlejuice pulled her out.

"No, she was a dead shadow," Miss Second Chance said again. "Beetlejuice had enough influence to bring her back. I had never seen that before. Once they fall for good, that's it."

"But? But if she fell? Beetlejuice said he wanted to take her place."

"He could if he fell with her and faster. He didn't, she fell," she continued to spell out for her. "Even now, Lydia Deetz is officially a dead shadow."

"What do you mean she is?" Ginger pulled herself up from the chair to her desk. "He brought her back."

"There is no coming back once someone becomes a dead shadow. Only Beetlejuice's comforting presence is keeping her from being where she belongs."

"But? But?" Ginger looked at a paper Miss Second Chance pushed in front of her. "She isn't part of the Neitherworld anymore? She's just a visitor like before? Then? But?" She started to cry again briefly. "She belongs in phase three!"

Yes. Past the Neitherworld. "Her eternity is set."

"No, it can't be. It can't be. But, she's right there. She's not very far away right now, she's with Beetlejuice," she claimed. Trying to deny it. Not wanting to see it. "The afterlife, the place after the Neitherworld, that . . . that can't be for her. Lydia's good, she's so good."

"She is a visitor," Miss Second Chance said. "She must return to her eternity, just like she had to return to her living world when that was her origin."

Now, Ginger's tears were much more real. There was nothing comical. Her whole spider body was just lying down on her desk, as if it couldn't even rise. "How long can she stay before sh-sh-she has to leave?"

"Beetlejuice knows."

"Can't we do anything? Please? Anything?" Ginger just couldn't lift her body anymore.

"As long as Beetlejuice is Beetlejuice, and he doesn't get possessed into hell with the actions he is taking, she is safe to visit. She can visit for days or months. As long as Beetlejuice is Beetlejuice."

"But if Beetlejuice goes through the whole Lex Talionis, he'll lose himself, and her."

Yes, the spider was starting to understand. "It is a sad fate."

"He's not just holding on for her not to fall. He needs to hold on to keep her eternity from getting her."

"Yes, until or if, he makes the Neitherworld suitable for her again." Miss Second Chance smiled. "Miss Ginger the Spider? What Beetlejuice is even doing now is unheard of. To hold onto a dead shadow like this, it's not just power. There's only one thing strong enough to do that."

"Her weird crush on Beetlejuice?" Ginger said softly.

No. No, it took more than just a crush. "Beetlejuice has been most aggressively annoying to everyone here, especially in the upper ranks, and there's really only a couple of ways to get rid of him. For your sake, I will tell you that they didn't plan any of this terrible tragedy that fell upon Lydia Deetz."

"No." Ginger pulled herself up even more. "No, but they connected him to probably the only person in history who could ever stand him?"

Miss Second Chance pulled out a contract for her. "Professional advice. Sign this, and there is a good chance Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice could both have a better future than what has been set."

Ginger didn't want to mess with it. "Why me?"

"You have a stake in this."

"What do you mean, I'm just a friend," Ginger insisted. Miss Second Chance pulled out another paper. "What?!"

Yes. "Beetlejuice put your name as the co-supporter. Funds have already been deducted from your account for housing issues on the surface."

"Beeeeeeetlejuiiiice!" Ginger yelled.

Yes. Beetlejuice did seem to have that effect on people. "When he did that, he gave you say over things. Understanding now the influence Lydia and Beetlejuice truly have on each other? Their love is unfathomable."

"Lydia's nuts, Beetlejuice is such scum," Ginger whined.

"He is scum to you. For her, he was willing to go to hell and take over her nightmares for her eternity."

"Love is weird. Really weird." Ginger looked over the contract. "He is going to get really mad if I sign this, are you crazy? He'll come after me. Plus, I mean? They were always just really, really, good friends. Lydia might have realized it's more, but what if Beetlejuice is just a really, really, good friend?"

Miss Second Chance simply stared at her for a time.

"He's going to come after me," she said weakly again. "Are you sure about this?" Her whininess just wouldn't end. "Oh, there's a clause to protect me in here."

Yes, she made sure Ginger the Spider would be safe until Beetlejuice and Lydia understood.

"So, this'll keep Lydia in the visiting space of Neitherworld, where she'll be safe. And. This will keep Beetlejuice from becoming dark?"

"The first is a guarantee," Miss Second Chance confirmed. "The second cannot be guaranteed. He is killing those who essentially sentenced Lydia to being a dead shadow. Revenge will darken him."

"Can't I just take Lex Talionis away from him?" Ginger asked. "Lydia's already sentenced to her eternity, does it still even matter now? If he sees them, he can just prank them so bad they move on quickly. Right?"

A small smile escaped Miss Second Chance. "If only afterlife were that simple." Her face became serious again. "When Lydia's visiting time is over, and he loses her, he will not be satisfied with pranks in 125 years."

"But can he really get her out again to visit?" she had to ask. "Is that guaranteed?"

"There is little connection between the Neitherworld and eternal afterlife. Yet, there are some very small ones. Yes, it is allowing him in."

"I still don't like it, I don't care if he's upset or not, we should take Lex Talionis away from him," Ginger insisted. "You can already see how much you put in this contract, we should just take it out too."

"There is another reason now. Lydia's attachment is generating something new . . ." Oh, how should she put it? "If those who created the dead shadow lose themselves, with her being so drawn to the Neitherworld as a second home, maybe she can be restored to this world again?"

"Them?" Ginger asked. "All of them?"

"Beetlejuice took out the first in the contract," Miss Second Chance told her. "His spirit is not haunting his abode for 125 years. It's on look out, making sure no one is coming to the house, and it's cleaning up any mess left behind. Eternally."

Ginger started to whine again. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, th-they deserve it, but now she'll be, she has to see them like them-them? Like?"

"When Beetlejuice completes Lex Talionis, we'll know for sure." Miss Second Chance sighed. "Otherwise? There's only one way to remove visitor status."

"Yeah, I get it," Ginger insisted. "After this contract is done, Beetlejuice is going to haunt me forever."

Miss Second Chance just let out a small chuckle. No. If Ginger pulled this off? Beetlejuice would have her to thank for saving them. She watched as the spider tapped and signed her signature.

Now, to deliver all the news.

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