The Whole Being Alive Thing

Humor Has It

The rest of the week passed by quickly and Betelgeuse hadn't learned as much as the rest of the family thought he would about being human and adjusting to it. So it was only fair that they extended the amount of time that it would take for them to help Betelgeuse get adjusted by another two weeks. And Betelgeuse seemed to be fine with just that - so as long as he helped the Maitlands keep their ghost powers under control and learn to use them as that was done in conjunction.

And today, which was Saturday, the Maitlands, and Lydia, decided to take the first steps in helping Betelgeuse adjust whilst Charles and Delia were out. Adam had written a second version of the list of things that they needed to help Betelgeuse out with. Starting off with emotions. The Maitlands decided not to cover anger, though, as they and Charles and Delia didn't want anything to happen to Lydia.

So far, they had no luck. As Betelgeuse seemed to not be paying any attention anytime they tried to talk to him about feelings and emotions. The fifteenth time in a row which Adam and Barbara had to repeat everything that they had said. And, distracted as he was, Betelgeuse was looking away from Adam and Barbara - instead focusing his attention up towards the series of cracks in the ceiling of his bedroom.

"Ahem!" Barbara glanced over towards Betelgeuse as soon as she and Adam had finished with their repeated explanation. "Did you even hear what we said?"

"No." He sat upright on his bed, turning his head so that he was looking at the Maitlands and at Lydia. "Could you repeat all of that for me please?"

Barbara groaned, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Betelgeuse, we've been trying to explain this to you fifteen times. Are you actually going to listen to us and everything we say this time? Or are you just going to ignore us again? Cause Adam and I would be happy to forget about that deal that we made with you last Sunday."

Betelgeuse's eyes widened, him turning to face them completely.

"No. Please don't."

Barbara relaxed, her and Adam going to sit down on either side of Betelgeuse. "What feeling do you want us to go over first?"

"Anger. Definitely anger."

"Beetle, no. We are most definitely not going over anger." Barbara had to roll her eyes again in response, sighing quietly and softly to herself. "Let's just go over the happier and calmer emotions first. Then we can think about that."

"I'd rather Delilah help me out with emotions."

"Well, Delia's not here right now. But we can bring it up with her when she and Charles get home from whatever it is that they're doing," Barbara suggested calmly, looking over towards Betelgeuse. "If that's okay with you, that is."

Betelgeuse nodded, looking from Adam to Barbara and back again.

"So, what did you want to cover instead?" Barbara continued, putting a hand on Betelgeuse's back and causing him to look over towards her again.

"You know, I could help you two out with your ghost powers first. Then you could help me out with adjusting to being human. Is that better?" he asked, his tone of voice sounding a little bit uncertain - which Barbara and Adam caught onto almost immediately, looking at one another with equal knowing expressions flashing across their faces.

"I guess that you could do that. But that's not what we all agreed on when we made that deal with you," pointed out Adam. "So, do you want us and Lydia to help you out with learning to get your strength and any and every strengthened ability that you kept first? Or should we wait for Charles and Delia to get home so that we could help you out with emotions?"

"You can help me get my strength under control firs-..." Betelgeuse trailed off and Adam and Barbara looked over towards him to find that he was laying on his back on the top of his bed and was now fast asleep.

Barbara moved over towards him, sitting down on the bed beside him and waving a hand in front of Betelgeuse's face. "Beetle, you there?"

"Betelgeuse is asleep," he drowsily mumbled in response. "He'll be awake never."

Adam and Barbara rolled their eyes in unison, equally amused smiles creeping across their faces as they turned and looked at one another.

Turning her head and focusing her attention back over towards the still asleep Betelgeuse, Barbara lightly tapped him on the stomach to arouse him. "Betelgeuse, c'mon. Don't you want us to help you get your strength under control?"

At that Betelgeuse immediately woke up, sitting upright on his bed and turning his attention over towards the now snickering Adam and Barbara. "What, guys? What's so funny?"

In response, Adam, still amused and laughing, decided now to put on his best impression of Betelgeuse's voice. "Betelgeuse is asleep. He'll be awake never."

In response, a still amused Barbara turned to look over towards her husband and nudged him lightly and gently in the shoulder. He did so back, and it eventually evolved into a sort of playful fight between the two ghosts that was cut short when Lydia let the both of them know that Betelgeuse had fallen asleep again.

Barbara rolled her eyes, tapping Betelgeuse gently and calmly on the stomach a second time to wake him up again. "Betelgeuse, please don't fall asleep on us again. We're going to move downstairs to the living room to focus on helping get your strength under control. As you seem to still rather be distracted instead of paying attention and letting the both of us and Lydia help you."

He sat up, once again turning his attention over towards Barbara and nodding silently in response. "That's fine with me. But only as long as it's okay for me to break something as a part of the lesson."

Barbara turned her head to look over towards Adam and Lydia, then looked back towards Betelgeuse. "We'd rather you not. But since it's easier for you to learn to get your strength under control that way, I guess we could allow it." Her tone of voice became serious and stern. "But don't break anyone's bedroom door. Or any door in the house for that matter. Does that sound okay to you?"

"What about the attic door? Can I break that?" Betelgeuse gave Barbara a hopeful, curious look, awaiting the ghost's answer.

"No." Barbara crossed her arms and glowered at Betelgeuse. "Not even the attic door."

Betelgeuse got up off his bed, immediately moving to stand over near where Barbara was now standing and giving her his best puppy dog eyes - pouting at the same time. "Aw, come on Babs. Please?"

"My answer is still no."