Out of Sight, Out of Mind//A Beetlejuice Fanfiction

||Chapter Nineteen|| Nightmares

The Maitlands teleported themselves and Lydia up to the attic at around half past ten that evening, finding Betelgeuse sprawled out across the couch. He was snoring, which Adam and Barbara had never heard him do at any given point in the last week. He shifted when he head Barbara cough to grab his attention and sat upright, looking over towards both the living and the dead.

"It's about time," he said, stretching. "How long did that pillow fight of yours take?"

"We lost track of time," said Barbara with a laugh. "What seemed like twenty minutes was actually two hours."

Betelgeuse moved off of the couch and Lydia immediately clambered onto it, intending to fall asleep and allow her deceased pals some time to themselves. After all, that pillow fighting with the Maitlands had made her tired and she said it would be better if they met up with her dad and Delia in the morning. Of course, the Maitlands agreed to it. It seemed like a good plan.

Barbara smiled softly as she materialized a blanket out of thin air and carefully covered the sleeping teenager she and Adam considered to be their adopted daughter. A warm smile appeared on Lydia's face as she rolled over, beginning to snore adorably. What she didn't know, was that she wouldn't be at peace for long.

Barbara turned to Betelgeuse. "Do you think it's easier if we see if we can leave the house through the back door? Lydia said it might be safer for us as it leads out to the back deck and Sandworms won't bother with us from that way. Which is good, considering the back deck is fenced."

"But a Sandworm could still snap at you," reminded Betelgeuse, fake sighing.

"Right," said Adam. "But we won't go out that far. Just outside the door."

"Fine!" sighed Betelgeuse, preparing to teleport the three of them downstairs. But before he could, a loud thud sounded from over near the couch and all three deceased turned around to find Lydia laying on her back on the floor beside the couch and wiggling and shaking uncontrollably. She also seemed to be mumbling something.

"Lydia, you alright?" asked a worried Barbara, her and an equally worried Adam teleporting over to the scared teenager and helping her up onto the couch.

"Nono. Mom! No!" whimpered Lydia. Barbara held her close, running a hand through the teen's black hair.

"Lydia??" repeated Barbara, noticing the teenager was zoned out and staring straight ahead with a hand outstretched. "Everything's fine. Just know we're here for you."

Lydia snapped out of it, shaking her head at a constant rate and turning her attention over to Barbara, resting her head against the ghost's chest area.

"Can you tell me what happened?" asked Barbara with a warm smile, holding the teenager close and running a hand down her back in an attempt to calm her down.

Lydia teared up, looking a little unsure.

"Lydia, it's okay," soothed Barbara, hugging Lydia.

Amidst her constant tears, Lydia shifted a little more into Barbara's hold and mumbled, "I had a nightmare. One relating to my mother. This time she seemed creepy. Nothing like her usual crazy, wild, mad self. A little scarier. Her eyes were a blood red and she looked like she was being possessed. Floating above her bed. I was a little freaked out. That's why I fell off of the couch."

Barbara pulled away from Lydia and rested her hand on the teenager's shoulder. "Lydia, like I said, everything's okay. It was just a nightmare."

"But... it felt so real..." whimpered Lydia.

"All nightmares do," said Barbara, looking down then returning her attention to Lydia. "Tell you what. Do you want us to stay with you for a while. Surely Betelgeuse won't mind having to wait to help Adam and I figure out if we can leave the house without getting attacked by a Sandworm. Right, bug?"

He nodded in response.

"That's fine," said Lydia softly, burying her head in Barbara's chest area again and sniffling a little. "You guys can do that in the morning and then we can go about teleporting up to New York by tomorrow afternoon if you guys can leave the house for a bit without being attacked and eaten by Sandworm. I don't think I want to imagine my life without you guys. It would be scary and lonely for me. You guys did help me feel happier and more willing to appreciate life. In fact, I can't imagine a life where I didn't meet you."

"We don't want to imagine what our afterlives would be like without you, your dad, and Delia either, Lydia," said Barbara, smiling softly and holding Lydia close when the teen wrapped her arms around the ghost. "You guys are like our family. Fate brought the six of us together and nothing is ever going to change that."

"You're right," said Lydia, clambering back up onto the couch and allowing Barbara to cover her up with the blanket again.