Betelgeuse-A Beetlejuice Novel

Chapter 7: Facing Consequences

Disclaimer: I do not own Beetlejuice or related characters, he belongs to Tim Burton. I do not own Beetlegeuse. I don't own Betelgeuse? I don't own any of the weird spellings for his name.

Betelgeuse?

Written By: Melanie Ray

Chapter Seven: Facing Consequences

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Living World/Staircase...

One week later...

Lydia needed time. Time to explain what was going on to her mom and dad. Time to figure out how to explain what was going on. However, time wasn't on her side. It wouldn't be right to keep it a secret, and it would only get harder to tell them as time went by.

"It's now or never." Donny reminded her as he turned into a vase by the staircase.

"I know." Lydia slowly started to stroll down. She had a closer relationship to her dad than to her stepmother, but telling him first without anyone's support? It would be hard. Lydia knew her parents wouldn't throw her out after learning the truth, but it was still not easy. It was hard to even go down the steps.

When she reached the bottom, Lydia watched Delia fix an arrangement on an end table. She wanted to call out to her, to begin the conversation. But her mouth, it had been too dry. It was just so dry. She tried to swallow to get it working again, but even that seemed to be complicated.

Delia turned and smiled at Lydia. She had gone back to being her bizarre self again. Although Delia had wanted Lydia to act more like a normal teenager, she was so much more thrilled when she saw Lydia starting to take an interest in watching insects again and wearing her usual outfits. The darker colors seemed so much better on her than the constant changing hottest style. In fact it was almost an overnight change, like it was not even a bother to turn her whole life back to what she had grown to hate somehow. However, Lydia was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, with an expression that spoke volumes. She needed to talk about something. "Lydia? You've been watching me for a time. Is something wrong?"

"It's. Yeah." Lydia took a deep breath. "Delia, I...I..." She took one more deep breath. "I messed up really bad."

"Do you mean the 'I care about no one but myself' phase?" Delia asked gently. "Lydia, everyone goes through phases as they are growing up. Your father and I both understand. We are just glad you seem to have found your old self again. Try not to lose her again, hmm?" She let go of the end table. "I never thought I would be so happy to see you playing with your creepy critters. I will never wish that you were ever different again."

"But there were repercussions." Lydia closed her eyes briefly. It was nice to hear that her mother finally understood, and respected, her interests. The things she loved. It was just tragic she didn't know before Lydia would destroy her life."There were consequences." She gulped once, then gaining her courage practiced her speech. Say it once, then it's over. She did it a thousand times in rehearsal with Donny. She could do it. She had to do it. "Delia, I was experimenting when I became that w-way. I changed back to my old self o-only after I got...I-I got..." Lydia couldn't say the word. She just placed her hand on her tummy.

Delia covered her mouth. "Lydia? Lydia Deetz, are you . . . pregnant?" Delia was silent with her for a few minutes. Lydia knew it was a great deal to take in. She had always been a decent student. A decent kid that never got into too much trouble. A month of some rough 'phase', but that was the only bump in the road to her family. "Too rough and wild has consequences," she muttered, "even if it was a short time."

"I know. It was wrong," Lydia said softly. "It never should have happened."

"You are positive?" Delia asked as she moved over toward the couch, no doubt needing to sit down. "Are you a hundred percent sure?"

"Yes."

Have you taken a test?"

"I'm positive, mother."

" . . . and the father?"

"Just a one night stand. No one special." Lydia almost choked as she said it, bending her head down in shame. She couldn't say it was Beetlejuice's after all, and she couldn't give just some random name. Lydia rubbed her arm. "I don't know how I'm going to tell dad."

"Well, what's done is done." Delia's voice was staccato, tough. "Grandmother Delia. That does not sound right. Not yet." She tried to smile encouragingly at Lydia, but it didn't fool either one of them. "I don't like what you did. You should have known better. I never imagined we would be here. We raised you better than this," Delia said firmly. "But . . . what's done is done and I." Her sigh came out in a long and exhaustive draw. "We will support you, but there are going to be very iron-clad rules around here. I'm sure your father will agree, once he deals with this news." She crossed her arms. "I don't know how poor Charles will deal with it. He is often so sweet and mild-tempered, but during some times in our lives . . . well, he was unrecognizable. I hope he can keep it together, but you just turned eighteen. Not to mention there's not even real father here, just a one night stand."

Unfortunately, they received their answer quicker than they thought as they heard the kitchen door slam shut. Not like a hard day at work shut, but a literal slam it as hard as a person could kind of shut.

"Charles?" Delia pulled herself off the couch and headed toward the kitchen. Lydia followed behind her. "Lydia, I'm afraid he overheard us."

No. Oh no, this was not how he was supposed to find out! Lydia shouted at herself. Overhearing it? He at least deserved to hear it from her own mouth. As if the news wasn't bad enough. Oh, Beetlejuice. Whenever she thought of that, it always elicited an emotion. Lately it was nothing but aggravation directed at him. It was her relationship with him that caused everything to happen. But, right then, she wasn't thinking of that. She remembered how he didn't just put her in situations. He got her out of them. Wiggling in and out of trouble was his specialty.

There was no wriggling out of this. Her father found out the terrible truth while he walked through the door.

"He must have come back early. Oh this is too much." Delia went outside looking for him. "Charles?!"

"Damn it to hell, he has no number on this thing!"

Delia and Lydia quickly went over to the other side of an old tree. Charles' wallet was on the ground with coins and credit cards scattered about. He had obviously been looking for something in a hurry, carelessly dropping or getting out anything in his path. Delia and Lydia moved closer to him and saw the single card he was holding in his hand.

Mr. Beetleman's card.

Lydia shouldn't have been surprised by the words coming out of her father's mouth. Yet, she couldn't help but open her mouth slightly in awe. Her plain, sweet father, the unassertive man who wouldn't hurt a bug was putting even rappers to shame.

"No address, no forwarding number, nothing!" Charles slammed the card against the tree, finally slowing his rant down. "Still can't reach him. Never could. Doesn't matter now, it's way too late."

"Charles?" Delia looked at him in shock. "Calm down."

"I will not calm down! He never should have left," Charles yelled as he tore up the card. "Lydia never would have changed if he was still here, and this would not be happening!"

"Dad, quit, okay?" Lydia tried to talk to him. "You just don't understand."

Donny watched sadly as a worm at the top of the tree. "He does not seem to be taking the news well."

Charles didn't even reply to her. He started walking off angrily to his car.

"Charles, don't go! We need to discuss this," Delia yelled out to him. "Where are you going? Charles!"

"To Hillman's," he yelled as he got into his car and drove off.