The Girl in the Mirror: a Beetlejuice fanfic

A Sense of Belonging

Moving down to the living room, had indeed been hard for the lot of them. There really wasn't that much space for any one of them, but, like Charles had said earlier, they could still make something work at least. And that's what they did. The versions of Adam and Barbara in this universe summoned enough chairs for everyone - placing all nine of them in random places around the living room.

Whereas all of the adults and Beetlejuice chose the chairs, both of the Lydias opted to sit themselves on the black and white striped couch and everyone seemed to be fine with just that — this universe's Barbara making the empty chairs that had been intended for both of the Lydias disappear into thin air with a snap of her fingers.

Things had, unintentionally, fallen silent for a while. Then Charles cleared his throat, turning the attention of everyone else in the room onto him.

"Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?!" he demanded, looking solely over towards the alternate versions of Adam and Barbara. "Just when we got used to having two Lydias in our universe, we now have two Adams and two Barbaras in our universe?! What's next? The alternate versions of Delia and I showing up in our universe?!"

"Hey, let's just focus on the matter at hand for now, Charles," Delia said, resting her hand on the male's shoulder as he turned his attention onto her.

Charles opened his mouth to respond, but Beetlejuice, looking through the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, beat him to it.

"We got two universes at stake," the demon said, everyone in the room turning their attention over towards him. "If we don't get things back to the way they were as soon as possible, then there's a much higher chance that this universe and the other universe could collapse in on themselves."

"But your mom's still going to know," Adam said, everyone else who was in the room nodding in unison. "So I think it's best we wait a while. Continue with helping our alternate selves get used to both a new universe and a new century."

"Since they're like, now, thirty years in the future," Barbara continued. "who knows how long it's gonna take for any of them to get used to the modern universe."

"Wait," alternate Barbara said, pushing a strand of her curly, brown hair out of her eyes and behind her ear as she looked over at her other self. "Thirty years in the future?"

"Basically, but yeah there's quite a lot of things that exist in our universe and time period that didn't exist in yours," Barbara said. "It's a shame you, your Adam, my Adam, Beetlejuice, and I can't leave the house so you can see."

"Wait?" alternate Adam piped up, adjusting his glasses. "Can we try to see if we could."

"I'm pretty sure that the rules apply to any version of you in any of the universes," Beetlejuice responded. "No matter what universe you're in, you can't leave the house."

"But this isn't our house or our universe," alternate Barbara found herself saying. "Why would the rules still apply?"

"Yeah," alternate Adam said, nodding in unison. "Why's that?"

"If you don't want to end up being Sandworm food, then I heavily suggest that you guys stay here." Beetlejuice closed the Handbook for the Recently Deceased gently and set it off to the side. "Let this universe's versions of you guys help you out with getting used to things in this century. We can go up to the attic and get a start on that."

"That sounds like a good idea," alternate Barbara said. "But I'm not sure if getting us used to things in a completely different century's going to help us out if and when we get back to our own. Who knows, we might get a little confused having to once again get used to things that were around back then."

"You..." Beetlejuice's hair flashed a lighter green. "Do make a point."

Alternate Barbara and Adam looked at one another, then nodded in unison as they turned towards and refocused their attention back over towards Beetlejuice - both of them starting to get captivated by the latter's color changing hair.

"But first, do you mind telling us how exactly your hair does that?" alternate Barbara asked out of curiosity. "Cause it's actually kinda cool to see your hair change color like that."

Beetlejuice didn't answer and instead teleported himself and both Adams and both Barbaras upstairs to the attic, yet alternate Barbara was still as curious about Beetlejuice's hair. To the point where she wouldn't stop asking about it, it made Beetlejuice mad, his hair turning red in a certain way that made alternate Barbara even more intrigued than she had been.

Still, the six foot tall brown haired version of Barbara Maitland crossed the attic and opted to sit herself down in between her husband and the alternate version of herself.

Alternate Barbara waved her hand, summoning a Handbook for the Recently Deceased and cracking it open to the section on multiverses. Even though she'd looked through that section before, that wasn't going to keep her from looking through it again and learning even more than she did before.

Yet, that intrigue was cut short when the other Barbara piped up.

"So, alternate me, how'd you and alternate Adam die in your universe?"

"Drowned," alternate Barbara replied. "You?"

"Fell through the floorboards of our house."

"Ouch. And how did you get rid of him the first time?" alternate Barbara asked, pointing at Beetlejuice who was currently in a conversation with both Adams.

"Turned him human, then our Lydia killed him."

"So, no Sandworm?"

"No, the Sandworm came later." Barbara looked away and let out a sigh, then she looked back up towards alternate her. "Beetlejuice rode in on it dressed in a cowboy hat and had it devour his mom."

"Ah, I see why she's constantly after you all of a sudden. Is that why Beetlejuice's on good terms with all of you?"

"Yeah, kinda." Barbara rubbed at the back of her head, her eyes flicking to the side just in time to see Beetlejuice flirting with both Adams at once.

Both Barbaras looked at one another briefly, then rolled their eyes in unison before turning their attention back over towards all three males. Knowing what to do, they let out laughs at the exact same time and shouted out,

"Hey! Cut that out!"