[IC] Stranger Beetles

[Metronome]

Charles noticed the tattoo, but held his tongue. He was just glad that she was home; nothing else mattered. "Friends?" He asked, looking down at her. "Of course, Lydia. I would love to. Just...give me a minute."

He wanted to change and clean up a little. He looked like a slob. Beetlejuice poof'd Lydia and himself back into the living room while Charles made himself presentable.

"Damn kid, he looks really rough," Beetlejuice said. He kind of felt bad for egging her on to leave, now.

[Beetlejuice96]

"I didn't think how it would affect him. I was too upset to think how my actions would hurt those around me." Lydia admitted softly before looking over at him. "But we're home now. Nothing's going to change that."

She turned her gaze back to Charles once he was ready, leading him outside where the others were waiting. "Dad, this is my adoptive family; Iggy, Ash, Riff Raff, Nina, Max, Malcom, and Toph."

[Metronome]

"They're...very colorful," Charles commented. He was trying at least. Iggy came forward and offered her hand to shake, and Charles seemed pleased enough that she had decent people skills. His eyes lingered on Ash, perhaps wondering if that was yet another demon.

"Lyds, you didn't tell us your old man was a cop," Riff Raff muttered to her, looking a little uncomfortable.

[Beetlejuice96]

"He is, but he took me running away pretty hard. Just...behave yourself and you'll be fine." Lydia assured him with a little smile. She chuckled as Toph joked about Charles' appearance before letting him in on the fact she couldn't see. Everything seemed okay for once. "Everyone ready to meet some sentient cinnamon rolls?"

[Metronome]

"Maitlands, here we come!" Beetlejuice grinned widely and he shoved them all together and poof'd them to a familiar, bland living room. "Where's hot stuff one and two?!" He flew over to the couch, where both Maitlands appeared to be in the middle of a movie night, and wedged himself between them, arms over their shoulders.

Barbara shrieked.

"Beetlejuice?!" Adam cried, pulling away from him before he could be assaulted like usual. Adam looked at the group of people now in their living room, frazzled. "Lydia?! Charles?! Who are all these people?!"

"I hope you have enough popcorn to share with the class, A-dog," Beetlejuice was helping himself to their popcorn bowl.

[Beetlejuice96]

Lydia ran over to hug the adorable labradoodles before introducing everyone along with explaining what happened after she left, even the fight with Mrs. Shoggoth. "It wasn't easy, but with Iggy and Ash helping she turned into Sandworm chow." She said a little too proudly.

"Hey, Stink, stop hogging the popcorn." Toph snipped, trying to grab the bowl away from Beetlejuice after the story was done. "Save some for our side of the story, which isn't easy when you can't see but damn was it fun!"

[Metronome]

"Nuh uh, get your own!" Beetlejuice flew up to the ceiling with the bowl and began pelting everyone with popcorn. The Maitlands were overwhelmed at first, but seemed to get the idea that peace would be restored if they provided food for everyone. Pizza was ordered.

Once everyone was settled down around the kitchen table and the living room, the subject of where Lydia and Beetlejuice would be staying came up.

"You're always welcome to come back," Charles offered. "I know I can be...strict, but we can work on it."

[Beetlejuice96]

Lydia looked over at Beej before glancing back at her father. "Would you be okay if Beej and I visited Iggy and the gang every now and then? Perhaps every other weekend or something like that? I'm sure they'd be concerned about me and want to know what's going on." She said, hoping they could compromise on an agreement.

[Metronome]

Charles nodded. "I think I could agree with that." Beetlejuice was hovering over the couch with a box of pizza, and Barbara was eyeing him anxiously. She'd had to clean far too many stains off of that couch because of him.

[Beetlejuice96]

Lydia smiled widely before hugging him in gratitude. Still feeling a little hungry, she walked over to the kitchen to grab some more pizza. She froze as her breath caught in her chest, something grabbing on to prevent her from breathing. Her vision swam before her as she tried to take a breath but to no avail. She collapsed in a dead limp, the plate she held shattering against the floor.

[Metronome]

Beetlejuice noticed something was off moments before it happened. He dropped the pizza box and flew to Lydia.

"Lyds?!" He picked her up off the floor, "Lyds? Oh god, she's not breathing."

"Someone call an ambulance!" Iggy jumped out of her chair and ran over.

"Wait! No!" Beetlejuice flew over to the couch and set Lydia down, studying her closer. "She's not hurt...she's...just not home. Someone took her." He looked over at Ash for help. "I think someone took her soul."

[Beetlejuice96]

"What?!" They exclaimed. "But that's impossible! The only possibility is a high ranking ghost or demon. Your mother is obviously out of the question, I wouldn't dare invoke your wrath..." They said before trailing off, realization coming over them.

"Darling, you said that you saw me at that facility although I was tethered to Iggy, correct?"

[Metronome]

"Yeah..." Beetlejuice had forgotten about that. He'd been concussed, so clearly it had been a figment of his imagination. Or had it? "We don't know anyone who can shapeshift do we? Aside from me, obviously."

[Beetlejuice96]

"Abaddon." Ash replied coldly, their eyes full of hatred as they spoke the demons name.

"Uh...who?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Abaddon, a Mimic demon who can appear as anyone; demon or Breather. Beetlejuice and I know them from our time in the Netherworld. You could say we were friends but after some of his antics, we couldn't take it anymore. He was upset, but I never thought he'd go this far."

[Metronome]

"I always got that 'fucking psycho' vibe from him," Beetlejuice said. "And that says a lot coming from Old Me." He stood and took the blanket off the back of the couch, carefully tucking it around Lydia. "We can't let him get away with this. But what do we do?"

[Beetlejuice96]

"We have to find her soul before it's too late for her to come back. She'll be trapped forever if we don't get her out. I know we just got out of there, darling, but we have to go back for her sake." Ash replied.

___

Lydia blinked upon finding herself back in the cramped waiting room, panic rushing over her. She quickly ran over to the window to talk to the receptionist. What was her name? Talia? Tiana? Tina? "Tina!" She exclaimed, remembering.

[Metronome]

Miss Argentina looked up, her eyes widening. "Oh no, honey!" She covered her mouth. "Miss Shoggoth did this to you?" That wicked woman had actually done it! She'd killed a child! Now this poor girl was going to be trapped here forever!

[Beetlejuice96]

"What? No! No, no. We managed to turn her into Sandworm food. I-I was back home with my family, I couldn't breathe and...now I'm here..." Lydia explained, voice cracking. After everything she went through, she ended up being caged again with no escape. "Why can't I get a fucking break?!" She screamed, letting her frustration out before sinking to the floor.

[Metronome]

The newly deads were staring.

"Oh dear," Tina came out from around the counter and ushered Lydia back into her office. "I know this is hard sweetheart. Death is never easy." She tried to comfort the girl by rubbing her back gently. She wondered where Lawrence was. He'd been with this girl earlier; why wasn't he here to at least visit her?

[Beetlejuice96]

Lydia went to dry tears that weren't even there as she sniffed. "After all the bullshit we've went through, I die from a fucking heart attack." She muttered before seeing the newspaper. Wait, Beej read the same paper, specifically the obituaries. She got up, frantically turning the pages until she found it. "I'm not on here." She stated, confused but elated at the same time.

"How can I be here but not dead?"