The Whole Being Alive Thing

Situation Very Not Normal

That night, Betelgeuse couldn't sleep. Unable to find a comfortable position to sleep in, he tossed and turned in his new bed. And it was a nightmare of sorts that startled him awake in the middle of the night. He shot up in bed, his eyes darting around his bedroom as if there was something there. As relieved as he was that there wasn't, Betelgeuse still felt a little wary. He pushed back his covers, slid out of his bed, exited his room and made sure to close the door quietly so as to not disturb the other living members of the household, and made his way down the hall and up the attic stairs.

Standing outside the closed attic door, Betelgeuse found himself hesitating for a brief few moments - unsure whether he should distract the Maitlands, whatever it was they were doing at this hour. He waited a few more minutes, relaxed when he felt himself tense up, calmed himself down, and knocked on the door.

It took at least a few more minutes to wait, but eventually the attic door opened and Barbara and Adam appeared, their gazes focusing on Betelgeuse. And what seemed like a really long staring contest of sorts between the three of them eventually ended when Barbara spoke up in a confused, concerned tone of voice,

"You can't sleep, huh?"

As Betelgeuse nodded in response, Barbara and Adam stepped off to the side and allowed him to enter before Barbara used her powers to gently shut the door.

Betelgeuse was now sat down on a couch on the other side of the attic, Adam and Barbara coming over and sitting down on either side of him. And they immediately took notice that he was trembling - a panicked look on his face.

"I'm guessing you had a nightmare?" Barbara spoke up again.

Betelgeuse stopped trembling as his eyes focused on Barbara. "Yeah... how'd you know all that?"

"Lydia, actually," Adam immediately responded. "She's come up to the attic in the middle of the night enough times for us to tell whether she's had a nightmare or if she was unable to sleep at all. It was more nightmares than an inability to sleep. So I guess that Barbara and I are kinda used to it."

Betelgeuse nodded, but said nothing for a brief while. Barbara was the one who spoke up and ended it, Betelgeuse now focusing his attention onto her. "What was it about?"

"Well... I don't know if I can really describe it," Betelgeuse said after a while, looking down and playing with his fingers. He looked away as he fell silent for a few minutes, trying to find the right words to say. But nothing seemed to come to mind.

Barbara nodded as she turned her head towards Betelgeuse. "Do you want both of us to stay with you in your room until you fall asleep?"

Betelgeuse pondered this for a brief second, then looked back at Adam and Barbara - both of whom were now turned and looking at him as they waited for his response. A reply now fresh in his mind, Betelgeuse closed his eyes and relaxed before opening them again. "I... guess..."

Barbara cocked her head, giving Betelgeuse a confused but worried look. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." was Betelgeuse's response. Though he sounded a little unsure.

Barbara turned to Adam, giving him a confused look as the two of them led Betelgeuse out of the attic and back down towards his bedroom.

Halfway down the stairs, however, both ghosts turned and noticed that Betelgeuse was slow to walk down. Or rather, he was still standing at the top of the attic stairs and looking a little bit nervous... a little bit unsure.

Barbara, tone of voice concerned, was the first to speak up, "Betelgeuse-?"

When he didn't do as much as start down the stairs, the Maitlands teleported up to him and then teleported themselves and Betelgeuse down to the latter's bedroom. As the next few hours flew by, Betelgeuse managed to fall asleep two hours in.