Second Time Around Story

The setup: This ties the cartoon to the movie. Not movie, then cartoon. Lydia’s age in the movie was also unknown to me, so I figured in the actress’ age. According to wikipedia she must have been 16 or 17 when she made the film. In the cartoon, Lydia always seemed smaller to me. So, why not flip them?

The Second Time Around

////anything between these slanted line represents past events////

—————————————————————————————————–

Lydia continued to cry as she laid on her bed. How could it happen? How could she ever do that? “He must hate me…he must hate me.” She continued to sniffle in her pillow as she thought of the horrible, despicable thing she had done. “I didn’t know…I didn’t know.” Her throat was so dry. How could it happen? How could it be? “I’m so sorry…ooohh…I feel so sick.”

Delia knocked on the door. “Lydia?”

“Go away, Delia.” Lydia continued to choke. “Leave me alone, just leave me be.” She continued to cry in her pillow as she heard Delia walking away. She had known there was a reason she had become the way she had been. She knew subconsciously there was a reason she no longer got along with her father or Delia. She knew it. She had always known it. “Though I know…” Lydia didn’t have the courage yet. Not yet. She started to close her eyes and think back. Think back to the simpler times. The wonderful times in her life…

He hadn’t been so bad back then. He didn’t ever cuss around her. No, even though he had no manners or hygiene, he never cared to do anything too despicable around her. After all, she was just a kid. Just a kid in peaceful pines. No, he wasn’t that bad of a guy. A real bad prankster, a beetle eating goof, and a ghost who never took baths. When it came down to it though, he was a good guy. He had always been a good guy. He had even saved her countless times.

A small smile graced her lips. She remembered back to the time when they visited Tombstone Scarizona. He had run off from being the Sheriff and left Bully the Crud behind. Nonetheless, when he knew Lydia was about to become Mrs. Bully the Crud he got over his fears and came for her. Oh, she sensed the irony behind it all. She sighed and taking a deep breath stood up. “Delia…” Lydia tried to wipe her eyes. It was her fault. Psychologically, she must have remembered. Even if she couldn’t remember anything else. There was a deep seed of hate festering against her step mother. And now, she knew why.

As the years rolled by, her father kept seeing too many things. Delia had never believed, but one day she saw it for herself. She had come around the corner while Betty and Lydia were talking. Betty had changed into Beetlejuice and mentioned going to the neitherworld. Lydia knew she was onto her. She had no choice but to tell the truth. She told her how she connected to him and how they first met. Delia had acted like she understood.

Until a week later, when a specialist showed up.

“How could she?” Lydia sniffled. She remembered the ‘specialist’ taking Lydia away. Away to a place that could ‘help her’. Oh no. No, instead of Delia confronting her about Beetlejuice, she wanted him to be gone. If Lydia didn’t remember or recognize him the ghost would not be a problem anymore.

For weeks Lydia was forced to believe Beetlejuice was just in her imagination. She was just a lonely child. She even had to take medication and therapy sessions…

Lydia started to lose it again as she remembered Beetlejuice. He didn’t give up easily.

////”Lyds. Come on. I’m right here. Just say it.” Beetlejuice had turned into the door of her sealed room. “Come on Lyd, you’re not crazy. Just say it.”

“You don’t exist. You don’t exist. You don’t exist.” Lydia chanted out over and over again. “You don’t exist. You don’t exist. You don’t exist.”

Beetlejuice just watched in horror as people came in with a syringe to make Lydia ‘calm down’. There was nothing he could do. Without his name being called, there was nothing he could ever do.////

“After a time…he finally quit.” Lydia wiped another tear away. He quit for her. As long as he kept bugging her, she would be in that awful place. Shortly after he stopped, she started to ‘get well’. And as time went by and she went home, her experiences in that place were repressed. She didn’t even recognize his name anymore. “Though I…know…” She closed her eyes. She still couldn’t do it. All that time that had passed. And he still…

found a way to her.

He had changed. Whoah, had he changed. He was a bio-exorcist now?. Without Lydia’s friendship, he had gone downhill. But somehow, he must have known. Known that she was coming. He contacted the Maitlands and tried to get them to free him. “Ah..” Lydia cried out to herself. “Why couldn’t you have told me?. Why couldn’t you have screamed ‘Don’t you remember me?. I was your best friend.’ Why?..” She tried to compose herself again. No, when he went free, the first thing he did was get revenge. How could he do that to her father?. He could have killed him. Then again, he did some nasty things in the past but he never really hurt anyone.

She smiled. Well, they did deserve it. Now that she thought about it…now that she knew the truth. They had hid it from her. They sent her to that awful place. They made her think she was crazy. They made her forget him. Forget her best friend.

“He held me…” Lydia was beginning to realize. “When I was younger…” When she was just a kid, no one was her friend. Bertha and Prudence, they hadn’t been very close at first. Clare Brewster did nothing but hurt her and her self esteem. Beetlejuice was the dead guy who brought life into her life. They saw each other every day. They hung out all the time, whenever they could. Life had been wonderful until they pulled him away. Pulled her away to that awful place…

Oh, when she had come back from that awful place…

She had gone past goth. She just wanted to end it. She wasn’t happy, there was nothing to be happy about. No one understood her. Not until the Maitlands finally came. She had sensed a connection between her and them. Most likely, the ghostly friendship she once had, that she psychologically needed again. Still, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t him.

“I was about…” Lydia went over to her window and looked out. She was about to end it. Life was just painful. She didn’t want it anymore. She was so lonely. Then, there he was. She didn’t even remember him, but he had stopped her. He never mentioned that he knew her. Most likely, wanted to let her remember herself. Oh…she had been so close to setting him free again. She smiled. They would have been together again. Finally. But no, The Maitlands came. At first she had been happy they came. Now that she remembered everything though, she wasn’t anymore. She would have been happy to say his name three times…

Lydia walked back over to the bed. She didn’t go back to Beetlejuice to call his name until The Maitlands were in trouble. “I didn’t know I knew him.” She tried to make herself feel better. By that time, Beetlejuice knew Lydia was not going to remember him. So, he tried a different tactic. Lydia choked, half in sorrow and half in humor. “Marriage.”

Yeah, marriage. What a weird thought. Still, it did make sense. Lydia would never call for him again after he saved the Maitlands. The Maitlands certainly didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Beetlejuice was getting desperate to have Lydia back in his afterlife.

He saved The Maitlands with ease, and had no problem wrapping her father and Delia up as witnesses. With The Maitlands out of commission, he almost made it. Then, she started to protest and the Maitlands still tried to call his name three times. And then, the sandworm…

“Oh.” Lydia felt sick to her stomach. Beetlejuice hated sandworms. He couldn’t fly out of trouble, he could hardly even move when he was in their presence. It took a lot for him to face a sandworm. “…it got him.”

Was he okay? Beetlejuice was always okay, but…after everything that happened? Lydia walked over to her closet and opened the door. She stared at an old mirror. It wasn’t the same huge mirror she used to have, but nevertheless it struck a nerve. When she touched it, precious memories started to invade her mind.

Beetlejuice was always her hero, and she had treated him like dirt. Like scum. Like he didn’t even exist. She closed her closet. The Maitlands would hate if she called him again, but she didn’t care about that. Delia and her father would hate if she called him again, but she definitely didn’t care about that. “Why couldn’t I remember? When it was important?”

Lydia leaned back on her closet door. Her repressed memories finally came back. She knew she had felt a connection to Beetlejuice but she just didn’t understand it. A couple years had gone by in living with the Maitlands. Her family wasn’t so worried about them because they seemed like…well, regular folk. Beetlejuice had never seemed regular. Besides that, with the Maitlands being ghosts, Delia and her father must have figured they could keep Beetlejuice away if he came back.

After all her family did to her. The awful place they made her go to. The awful therapy sessions. After all that, they had the gall to hide the fact they knew about him when he finally showed up at the end. Her best friend reduced to sandworm bait…and they still never told her.

At least they didn’t know yet, that her memories came back. It was happening steadily over time, but it wasn’t until she found her old photos that she kept hidden in a secret place. She had finally remembered there was a secret compartment toward the back of her old picture case. That’s when she found her neitherworld photos. When she found those photos, she started to fully remember. Seeing her smaller self with not only Beetlejuice but Jacques? The Monster Across the Street? Ginger? And even Doomie, the car they had built together.

Lydia opened her closet door again to look at the mirror. To look at how much she had changed from when she knew him. How much life had changed her. She was hesitant at first, but she owed him it. Even if he never wanted to see her again for all the lies and the pain she put him through, she owed it to him. To give him an apology, face to face. “Though I know I should be weary, still I venture someplace scary…” She closed the closet door. Using the mirror would bring back too many memories. She took a deep breath. After all this time, she’d finally see the ghost with the most. “Ghostly haunting I turn loose. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!”

Lightning crackled outside and the drapes on her window started to flutter. Then, minutes later, he finally arrived.

Instead of acting angry, he was dusting himself off. “Geez, I thought I’d never get out of there.” He complained. He started to itch his ear. “Waiting rooms. You know I hate ’em. Takes at least 10 years to get through one.”

Lydia stayed motionless as she heard his ranting. He still seemed the same. In fact, he was still wearing the pinkish red tuxedo he had been in when he tried to marry her some years ago.

Beetlejuice stopped complaining and looked at Lydia. He noticed the recognition in her eyes. “Oh. So what, NOW you remember me?.” He scoffed and started to float in mid-air. “All that work to get to you, and look how I’m repayed.”

“…I know.” Lydia said softly.

“A sandworm?.” Beetlejuice groaned. “I hate sandworms.”

“I know.” Lydia said again. “I’m sorry. I…”

Beetlejuice stopped floating and looked at Lydia. “So what now, what do you want, huh?”

Lydia took a deep breath. “I want to apologize. For everything. For saying you didn’t exist. For forgetting you-“

“and the sandworm?” Beetlejuice said very firmly.

“And the sandworm.” Lydia replied. “I’m sorry for everything.”

“Well…you should be.” Beetlejuice said a little stuck up.

“Well…you didn’t help as much as you could have.” Lydia slowly questioned. “When you were free, why didn’t you come to me? WHY did you go after my family?”

“Why shouldn’t I have?” Beetlejuice complained. He crossed his arms. “They’re the ones who need to apologize.” He uncrossed his arms and started to float again. “As for the helping as much I could, I could only do so much. What? You wanted me to say ‘hey. Don’t you remember me. We were friends when you were much smaller.’ Yeah, right. You distrusted me enough as it was.”

“I’m sorry. I know, you’re right.” Lydia replied. “You’re right. I probably wouldn’t have remembered.” She looked at him up and down. He was even more dirty and sleazy looking than he used to be. “I just wanted to say sorry.”

“Fine, yeah.” Beetlejuice replied a bit dry. “I guess you want what, an apology from me? Well, you’re not getting one.”

“I know. Not your style.” Lydia gave a small smile. “So…bio-exorcist now, huh?”

“Well, it’s a living. Not literally of course.” Beetlejuice smiled. “After all, living beings suck. The only good one’s ever been you.”

Lydia smiled a little wider. “I know. You weren’t exactly the easiest person for everyone to get along with.”

“So? I didn’t need them.” Beetlejuice crossed his arms behind his head and floated in a more lax position. “The living are only good to scare. Nothing else.”

Lydia didn’t know what else to say. She apologized, like she said she would. “…how is everyone?”

“Well…” Beetlejuice chuckled. “All them memories finally came back huh? Jacques still a bonehead, Ginger’s still a no-talent spider, and the Monster that lives across the street still lives across the street. Not much changes in the neitherworld.”

“Oh. That’s good to hear.” Lydia commented.

“Oh. That’s good to hear.” Beetlejuice continued to mock her, his voice going higher to imitate hers. “That makes me feel better. Now I don’t have to worry so much. Yeah. I apologized and now I have a clean conscience.”

Lydia’s smile disappeared altogether. “What do you want from me?” she frowned. “I can’t change anything.”

“What do I want from you?” Beetlejuice just gave her an angry look. “Well, if you can’t figure that out Lyds. Ahh-ffffftttttpppp.” He started to blow his tongue at her.

Lydia sighed. “Well, what is it you want? If I can do something, then-“

“Do something?.” Beetlejuice stopped floating and hit the ground. “Did you completely forget the last time we saw each other?.”

Lydia looked a bit perplexed. “…what? You mean…marriage? Huh?.” She looked more than a bit surprised. “I just thought that was out of desperation to get me to remember.”

“Huh?.” Beetlejuice replied. “Don’t you-aaaaahhhhh..”

Lydia watched as Beetlejuice’s head spun around several times before it stopped. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Same ol’ Beej.”

“That’s it.” Beetlejuice dove behind her and came from around her shoulders. “That’s what I want. I want my Lydia back. Babes. Don’t you remember the great times we had?.”

Lydia looked very surprised. “You mean, even after everything that happened? With the forgetting, with the moving back and forth, with the sand-“

“Stop saying sandworm.” Beetlejuice complained. “I hate sandworms.” He crossed his arms again. “And yeah, I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at everyone else.”

“But not me?” Lydia asked again.

“No way. I saw what they did…” Beetlejuice let out a very strange growl. “Trust me, that place was the first Bio-Exorcism I did after you left.”

Lydia smiled slightly. He really didn’t blame her? “Beej…” She started to change her expression. “…Beej.”

“What?” Beetlejuice answered innocently. “Oh come on, you’ve changed. How can I not…stare…could you bounce a couple times?”

“BJ?.” Lydia said, a bit shocked.

“Sorry. Lyd, babes. We’re friends. Trying to remember.” He hit his head, causing a strange rattling in it as he did so.

Lydia couldn’t help but smile. He was a little more sleazy, and even a little more scruffy looking. Still, it was very clear. Beetlejuice was still Beetlejuice.

Although Beetlejuice was looking at her door very suspiciously.

“BJ, don’t do anything.” Lydia warned him as she grabbed onto his jacket. “You already juiced them.”

“They’ll never get enough.” Beetlejuice replied. “They deserve more, much more.”

“BJ.” Lydia sighed. “It was horrible what they did, I know. I do. You can’t go around hurting people though. What you’ve been doing…”

Beetlejuice groaned. “They all deserve it. They all deserve it.” He looked back at Lydia. “Besides, the gig payed really good.”

Lydia gave him a stern look. “Beej.”

“Great benefits.” Beetlejuice continued. “Rumors of me spread far and wide.” He grinned wickedly.

“Beej.” Lydia said stricter.

“What?” Beetlejuice whined. “Oh come on, Babes. I mean, I gotta tell you. Being known as a human exterminator, it had it’s perks. I could go to some really great restaurants, all the beetles I could-.”

“BJ.” Lydia finally said loudly. She looked at him firmly. “You never killed anyone, admit it.”

Beetlejuice shrugged his shoulders. “Hurt, kill, pay to go away. Whatever method, it worked right?” he mumbled. Finally, he confessed. “Fine, not exactly.”

Lydia groaned. “Beej. No more?”

“Depends on you.” Beetlejuice pointed his finger at Lydia and juiced her.

Lydia smiled. She had black leotards and her wonderful red top back, sized to fit her now. He even juiced her hair just the right way, like it used to be.

Beetlejuice was also admiring his handiwork.

Lydia looked at Beetlejuice. “I’m older now BJ.”

Beetlejuice was still staring.

“BJ.” Lydia complained. “Could you zap my bra back on me?”

“Off you? On you?” Beetlejuice shook his head. He removed it and started to shake it. “Sorry. Trying to get the bad thoughts out. Know what I mean?” When he put his head back on, he zapped her bra back on her.

Lydia spun around in joy. She had really missed that old style.

Beetlejuice was grinning too as he zapped his dirty tuxedo away and brought back his black and white pants. He felt happier than he had been in a long time. “So, let’s go.”

“Go?” Lydia looked uneasy. “You mean to the neitherworld?”

“Yeah babes. Of course. Where else?.” He grinned.

Lydia was trying to think. “Go back and forth between worlds?”

Beetlejuice nodded his head.

Lydia’s expression didn’t change. “Become really close friends again?”

Beetlejuice continued to nod his head.

Lydia’s expression still didn’t change. “And hide everything from my family again?”

Beetlejuice continued to nod when his head fell off. He picked it back up. “Of course Lyd.”

“I don’t know Beej. I don’t think I want to anymore.” Lydia replied.

“Huh?” Beetlejuice looked confused, then downright crushed. “No more?”

“I don’t want to hide.” Lydia said firmly. “I don’t wanna go back between worlds anymore. This world is…”

Beetlejuice started to fall apart. Literally.

“…cruel.” Lydia went over and smiled at him. “I don’t have any real friends here, only you. And, if anyone hurts you again…I-I don’t think I could take it.”

“Huh?” Beetlejuice pulled himself back together instantly. “You mean…you want to stay over in the neitherworld? Permanently?”

Lydia nodded her head. “Why do we keep coming back here?”

“Uuhhh…” Beetlejuice made a dumb sound. “Cause your living. You can come visit babes, but you can’t live there.”

“Oh.” Lydia knew that made sense. “I just don’t want to see you hurt. I don’t want to be separated again.”

Beetlejuice rolled up his sleeves. “How old are you now babe? 17? 18?”

“Ummm…I turned 19 last month.” Lydia asked. “Why?”

“Thought so.” Beetlejuice replied. “Where are those Maitland yuppies?”

“They’re gone. They went to their case worker or something” Lydia frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t want to become worm bait again.” Beetlejuice stated. “Taking care of your parents is easy, but that couple I’m not taking lightly.”

“What are you talking about?” Lydia looked at him suspiciously.

Beetlejuice zapped her goth clothes again and put her back in her red wedding dress from two years ago. “Don’t you remember? For you not to get taken away, I gotta have my juice 24/7. In order to do that, hey. I gotta be married. And in order for you to come and go as you please in the worlds, then you gotta get married. Like I said before, it’s a win/win situation.”

“…” Lydia looked a bit more than stunned. “Marriage. You mean I would be Lydia Juice? Uuhh…”

Beetlejuice rolled his eyes. They rolled across the floor until he caught them and put them back in. “Lyds. What do you want?. We either get married and get the best of both worlds, or we stay hidden like we used to. It’s your decision.”

Lydia sighed and tried to think. She didn’t ever want to lose Beetlejuice again. He had always been there for her. They had been the best of friends. Still, marriage was a really big decision. “Ummm…what about divorce? Do they have divorce in the neitherworld?”

Beetlejuice wasn’t as quick to answer. “…sure.”

“Okay.” Lydia was beginning to smile. “So, if I changed my mind I could divorce you?”

Beetlejuice still wasn’t real quick to answer. “…sure.”

“Well…” Lydia was seeing much less of a downside. Marrying Beetlejuice would successfully do many things. She would be able to get even with her parents. She would be able to travel back and forth as she pleased. Above all, Beetlejuice would always have his juice. If anyone tried to separate them again, he could easily stop them. Still, marriage was a big decision. “I don’t know…”

“That’s fine, take your time.” Beetlejuice looked around the room for her old mirror. Not seeing it, he guessed she had gotten rid of it. “Heck, I have eternity for you to decide.”

‘I don’t.’ Lydia thought to herself. “Maybe…maybe hiding a little longer won’t hurt. Until I know for sure what I should do.”

“Fine by me babes. Let’s just go.” Beetlejuice said excitedly. “Say them words of yours.”

Lydia grinned. “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.”

——————————————————————————–

The neitherworld…

Lydia took a deep breath and gazed at the beauty of the neitherworld. Something she missed so much. She had her good old goth-red outfit back on.”I never thought I’d see this place again.”

Beetlejuice grabbed her and had her start to levitate with him. ‘Finally. I finally got Lydia back.’ He was so happy to have his old friend back. Sure, his carefree bachelor life he had developed would probably suffer a bit. Not to mention the smoking…the drinking…the bio-exorcism fun…the cussing…still, he’d do it. He’d do anything for Lydia.

Lydia wasn’t dwelling on much of anything right now. Not on the Maitlands, not on Delia, not on anyone.. She was just so happy. No one would tear their friendship apart this time. No way. The two were free.

Free.

———————