What's Not to Love - a Beetlelands Soulmate AU

Making Sense of Being Dead. And Soul Marks

Adam and Barbara poured over more than enough information on being dead and on soul marks in the Handbook, as well as a book that provided them more information about soul marks than they ever thought they needed. They weren't sure, but they were absolutely sure that they had only met Betelgeuse a couple of hours ago. But it felt more like quite a bit of time had passed them by - a few days at the very least if they had to guess. And here they thought that they'd only just died.

Despite that, they both made a mental note to ask Betelgeuse about all of that later. And that was only just one of the many things that they didn't know about being dead. But soul marks were more important right now. They'd focus more on the 'being dead' thing later. When they felt more comfortable with their soul marks.

Adam turned the Handbook upside down, then right-side up, trying to make sense of certain things that he couldn't quite make out. And before now, he'd have thought that being dead was a whole lot easier. He was disappointed by how hard they made things seem.

His eyes flicked to a particular bit of information that he was sure he'd not noticed before now, focusing solely on that and scanning that carefully.

After a while, he turned his head and looked over at Barbara. "Could you try and make sense of this? Because I can't."

"Here. Let me see that." Barbara set the book she was reading off to the side and Adam handed the Handbook over to her, her looking over at the same bit of information that her husband had pointed out to her. "I don't know what that means either. Betelgeuse? Could you help us?"

"Sure thing, Babs!" Betelgeuse, smirking, winked playfully at Barbara.

Barbara scooted off to the side, giving Betelgeuse just enough room to sit down on the couch in between them. He sat with a plop, making both ghosts jump - literally - and look panicked.

"What did you need help with?"

Barbara set the Handbook, still open to the same page, down in Betelgeuse's lap, pointing out the exact information she and Adam couldn't figure out. "This. Ad and I can't figure out what that's supposed to say. Could you read it out for us? Please?"

"No,"Betelgeuse said, trying not to be sarcastic.

"Betelgeuse, be serious." Barbara couldn't help but lightly hit the demon in his elbow.

"I am being serious, B-Town. I can't read that."

"Why not?" Adam found himself asking, confusedly cocking his head to the side.

"I just can't read, you guys know. You guys should be able to fully understand what it says if you start to read a little more into it." Betelgeuse just shrugged, leaning back and resting his hands behind his head.

Seeing as though that wasn't helpful, Adam and Barbara looked at one another, with Adam being the one who turned her attention onto Betelgeuse. "What exactly is that supposed to mean? Barbara and I just died and you're not being all that helpful towards us when it comes to telling us about being dead. And about our soul marks!"

Betelgeuse righted himself, looking at Adam like the latter said something that he shouldn't have. "Just died? Sexy, you and Babs did not just die. You died a week ago. We first met a week ago."

"What do you mean when you say that Adam and I died a week ago???" Barbara said out of annoyance with a slight confusion mixed within it. "Is there something we missed?"

Now Betelgeuse slapped a hand against his forehead, only just now remembering. "Shit! I forgot! Time moves differently for the dead. It doesn't work the same way for the dead that it does for the living. For example, what is a few hours to a living person is actually a week to the deceased. I hope that clears things up for you. But if there's anything else that either of you would like to know, you could just ask me. Is there anything else you don't know that you would like to know?"

"Are the living still able to see us?" Barbara asked, curiosity overtaking her annoyance and confusion. "Cause you don't know how much I miss being able to talk to others. Besides you and Adam of course."

"The living usually will ignore the dead. But, if you try hard enough, you can get them to see you. But it's going to take a lot more than what you think it does to get that to happen."

"Like what?" Adam and Barbara questioned at once.

"I'll tell you both later," Betelgeuse merely stated.

Adam and Barbara, confused, looked at one another, then back towards Betelgeuse. "What do you mean?"

Betelgeuse opened his mouth to answer, then closed it - him, Barbara, and Adam standing up at the slightest sound. Betelgeuse was halfway up the stairs, but Adam and Barbara both stayed still and didn't join the demon on the stairs when he motioned for them to do so. After a while Betelgeuse teleported back downstairs, grabbing the Maitlands' arms and teleporting himself and the both of them out of the living room.

Upstairs, in the attic, the Maitlands were stunned silent. Looking around said room before their attention focused on Betelgeuse. Things got quiet briefly, then Barbara spoke up with a tone of confusion.

"Betelgeuse, pardon me from asking... but why are we up here?"

Betelgeuse, once again, opened his mouth to answer. Only to close it when more noises were heard from downstairs. Adam and Barbara, curious over what was going on, teleported themselves out of the attic before Betelgeuse could tell them not to. He just stood there for a while longer, then teleported out of the attic as well.

He found the Maitlands standing by the upstairs railing, peering down. Betelgeuse joined them, also looking down before his attention focused on both newly-dead ghosts - who, in turn, were giving him worried looks.

Before any of them could say much of anything, they heard a surprised but inaudible noise from behind them and turned to find a teenager just standing there and staring at them in shock. But the shock quickly wore off when the Maitlands' attention flicked down to the girl's arm - the two glowing and familiarly colored marks that were on both of her arms catching them both completely by surprise.

And they were both as oblivious as the other was to the black marks appearing just under the green marks on their arms.