||Devil's Advocate||Betelgeuse x Adam x Barbara

(𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞) Feel-Good Factors

"Stay here. I'll be right back," Barbara spoke up, standing up and prepared to head back inside the house to make sure that Lydia was doing okay. But not before Adam chose to stand up as well.

"No. You stay here. I'll go back inside to check on her."

But Barbara seemed insistent that she be the one who go in. "No no. It's okay, Ad. I go in and check on her. You and Betelgeuse can stay out here." Adam turned to Betelgeuse then returned his attention to Barbara, giving his wife a simple nod. Though he was starting to think that it'd be easier for both of them to head back in and check up on Lydia. And what Betelgeuse said next seemed to imply that that was what should happen,

"You two can go back in if you want. I'll be fine out here..."

Worriedly, they both turned towards Betelgeuse and Barbara was the first of the two ghosts to speak up, "no... no... Betelgeuse... you don't have to stay out here."

"It's the only place here that I can stay... considering that I'm not at all welcome here.... might as well just live up here while I'm at it," Betelgeuse mumbled in response, turning away from Adam and Barbara.

Both ghosts exchanged a glance, then turned back to Betelgeuse.

"Beej, no... you can't just decide to live out here on the roof..." Barbara moved to stand to the demon's left; Adam, to the right; all three deceased people just standing there at the edge of the roof and looking down. And not a single word was spoken by any of them. At least until Betelgeuse decided to again speak up, his voice soft, nervous, and unsure,

"Why not?"

"Well...." Barbara responded, then paused to think of what else to say. "Because we don't think it's fair if you live out here on the roof. We can talk to Charles and Delia later and see if we can work something out. Does that sound okay?"

Betelgeuse mumbled something inaudible and quiet that sounded to the Maitlands like it could have been something positive, but both ghosts were left unsure since it also sounded like it also could've been something that was both negative and depressive. But whatever it was, the Maitlands seemed to accept that as a yes. Adam and Barbara turned to head back inside, then briefly stopped and turned back towards Betelgeuse.

"Do you want to come back inside with us?" Barbara asked, sincerity and warmth in the tone of her voice.

.Betelgeuse turned towards her as he formulated an answer in his mind to the female ghost's question. He figured he should shake his head no but when he found himself nodding yes in response, he felt himself get pulled back inside the house as soon as one of the two ghosts grab a hold of his hand. And, sooner rather than later, he found himself suddenly off of the roof of the house and outside of the house's attic space. Whichever one of the two ghosts it was who'd grabbed a hold of his hand had since let go of it. And Betelgeuse glanced down the hallway he'd just now found himself standing in only to catch sight of both ghosts already halfway down it.

"Where are you two going? Are you leaving me alone?" It was the second one out of the two questions Betelgeuse had asked that caused the Maitlands to stop walking and turn towards him with equal looks of confusion and concern appearing on their faces. Betelgeuse's hair immediately turned a shade of blue as he glanced down towards the carpet of the second floor hallway and shuffled his feet in anguish. "I knew it. You both are leaving me alone just like I thought you would."

Barbara shared a quick glance with Adam, the two ghosts almost immediately teleporting over towards Betelgeuse.

"Betelgeuse, no. We're not going to leave you alone. We never are. You should know that by now," Barbara said, trying her best to comfort him. "We were just going to check up on Lydia and make sure that she's okay. The poor girl got so upset over us telling her that she couldn't  head back into the Netherworld and bring her mom back with her that I'd be surprised if she didn't want to speak to us again. Which I hope doesn't happen."

Adam nodded in agreement to that.

"But it's clear that I don't," was all Betelgeuse could think of saying, him turning half invisible but still visible enough that the Maitlands could still see him.

Barbara and Adam looked away from him for a brief moment, then turned back over towards him. Betelgeuse's eyes were still focused down towards the hallway floor. And, before any of them could think of saying anything else, a loud slam directed their attention over towards the other end of the hallway - where Adam and Barbara could clearly see Lydia heading down the stairs to the main floor of the house.

Instinctively, both ghosts teleported themselves and Betelgeuse down towards the main floor of the house just in time to see Lydia enter the main bathroom and leave the door open just a crack. Barbara turned to her husband and Betelgeuse, telling them to stay outside for a brief while whilst she teleported in to talk to Lydia.

Both males nodded in response and Barbara nodded back, immediately teleporting into the bathroom.

How she found the bathroom was concerning. It was dimly lit, and Lydia stood over by the sink, her eyes studying what appeared to be something sharp in her hand. And Barbara knew exactly what it was. She had to figure out a way to stop Lydia from going through with this before the worst could happen.

And she did the first thing that came to mind.

"And what do you think you're doing with that razor blade of yours, young lady?" Automatically and with a look of surprise or sheepishness appearing on her face upon realizing that she'd been caught, Lydia dropped her razor blade and spun on her heel to face Barbara.

"What razor blade?"

Barbara raised an eyebrow, resting a hand on her hip and gazed sternly at Lydia. The latter's attention drifted to the razor blade that was now unused and still sitting on the bathroom sink before turning back towards the still furious looking Barbara.

"Oh... that razor blade..." Lydia let out a hearty laugh and Barbara's previously furious look softened to a stern, unamused look. "Well, if you said no to me heading into the Netherworld and bringing my mom back whilst I'm still alive, then why not cut myself... kill myself... and do it?"

"And possibly be unable to go back to the Netherworld once you do?" Barbara reminded the teen, who looked down sadly upon remembering that particular fact - which had somehow slipped her mind.

"Oh..." Lydia spoke, a sheepish and apologetic look appearing on her face as her attention focused away from the tiled bathroom floor and back over towards Barbara - the latter of the two's expression softening to one of calmness and comfort as she reached a hand out and rested it on Lydia's shoulder.

"Lydia, if you think of doing something like this again... you know that you could just come up to the attic and talk things through with Adam and I or with your dad and Delia rather than just going through with it. Remember that for next time, okay?"

"Okay..." Lydia nodded in response.

Before either one of them could even say anything else, Adam phased halfway through the bathroom door with a panicked expression on his face. Barbara and Lydia turned to face him in unison with Barbara being the one to speak up,

"Adam? What's the matter? Where's Betelgeuse?"