#also i would like to formally apologize to everyone who followed me for beetlejuice. i love u all.

[tabooiart]

yall KNOW i had to draw the outfit swap they pulled last night

[dragontamer626]

First Chapter of my upcoming fanfic.

This is meant to be the bridge after the film but before the cartoon so there are some movie spoilers. Leave me nice things.

She didn’t know why, and she didn’t know how. All she knew was, she almost missed him. Almost.

Lydia Deetz sat alone in her room watching the rain fall outside. It had been raining for three days straight now. The week had been peppered with thunderstorms and she loved it. Most girls Lydia’s age much preferred the sun. It was a time to go out with friends to the nearest mall and shop for clothes, or spot cute boys playing sports at the local park. But Lydia was not like normal girls. She was a strange and unusual soul who just wasn’t into the same thing as her peers. She liked all things dark and spooky and misunderstood. She loved bugs and bats. She liked to dress all in black, occasionally with a black lace veil just for an extra touch. She loved her new black kitten Percy who she had wanted to call Lucifer, but her stepmom hadn’t allowed it. And, she loved thunderstorms; they were so atmospheric and filled her with inspiration. But despite all these things that made her happy, Lydia was not a happy person. In fact, the last few months had been truly awful for her. After that incident with that demon she had, at first, adapted quite well. After all, she was okay as were her family and her dear friends; Adam and Barbara Maitland were fine too. For almost a year, things had been great. The deceased Maitlands co-existed with the Deetz family happily. They were like godparents to Lydia and a truly nice agreeable couple. But with all the pleasantries came a price. Mortals could not share a house with the deceased so openly. The Maitlands had unintentionally broken many rules and had been ordered to leave the house and move on. Lydia was heartbroken. But she also knew the penalty for ignoring the authority of the powers that be in the Neitherworld, she had been told all about that. She remembered her last evening with her best friends before they had to leave her and her family. They had laughed, joked, played games and shed a few tears. That night they had stayed by her bedside until she reluctantly fell asleep before hand in hand departing into the Neitherworld, vowing they would see her again one day. Lydia had woken to find they had really gone and she suddenly realised just how alone she was in the world. That’s when she started thinking of him. His twisted features crawled into her mind’s eye and invaded her dreams turning them into nightmares. After all he hadn’t been banished. He had been dragged back to the Neitherworld by a sandworm but she knew the ghost wouldn’t be dead. How could he be if deceased already? The gate had been left wide open the night she had foolishly summoned him to save her friends. Could he return at any moment? Would he? She tried not to think about it as she turned away from her balcony doors as the storm continued to rumble overhead.

 Beetlejuice lay with his hands behind his head in his cell. He was beginning to get bored and irritable. None of his magic had managed to get him out of that blasted room and he was beginning to feel the first waves of panic. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he knew what he’d done wrong – well aside from the obvious. But that was almost a year ago... and he was the hero, wasn’t he? He’d saved the Maitlands from a slow, decaying death. He had kept up his end of the bargain – it was that blasted girl who hadn’t. Why should he be paying the price? And that stunt with the sandworm too... damnit he had only just escaped, he didn’t want to try his luck again.

           ‘Lydia Deetz,’ he growled aloud. ‘You tricked me you little,-’

           ‘Alright buddy, your turn now.’

           ‘Finally.’ Beetlejuice sat up as two guards entered his cell.

           ‘You’ll have to put these on, said the taller of the two holding up a pair of cuffs.’

           ‘That’s your kink too?’ smirked the ghost. ‘Hate to tell ya this officer but I’m not into guy-yyyys!’ He yelped as the cuffs were made unnecessarily tight.

           ‘Can it Beetlejerk. There’s no getting out of it this time. You’re going to be fed to the sandworms for sure.’ The ghost had no choice but to be marched out of the cell and down a long corridor. He had to think of something and fast but his mind was swimming. This was it? This was how he was going to die? Again?  The corridor ended and he was marched up some steps in front of a huge platform. Seated atop the platform was a skeleton in a judge’s wig and robes. Judge Mental. He was screwed, he knew that straight away. The crowd booed and hissed as he stood there alone, defenceless, utterly humiliated.

           ‘State your name,’ the judge’s voice rang out.

           ‘Like you don’t know,’ muttered the ghost. ‘Spare me the formalities and let’s get this over with.’ Judge Mental frowned. ‘As you wish. Read the charges.’ A ghoul with a shrunken head stepped forward with a roll of paper.

           ‘Beetlejuice,’ he began in an unusually high pitched voice. ‘You have been charged with the following offences: The deception of two innocent ghosts who accidentally summoned you. Causing injury to the mortal Charles Deetz. Interacting with mortal child Lydia Deetz. The murder of two humans Maxie and Sarah Dean. Attempting to force Lydia Deetz to marry you to gain full access to the world of the living. How do you plead?’

           ‘What?’ spluttered Beetlejuice, ‘not guilty of course!’

           ‘You’re saying you didn’t do these things?’

           ‘Well... not in the way you’re saying!’

           ‘Is there another way to say them?’ Beetlejuice glowered.

           ‘Look,’ he snapped. ‘Those two wet saps Adam and Barbara needed my skills. I just pointed them in the right direction. They summoned me of their own free will. Two: they asked me to get the Deetz’s out of their house... that’s what a bio-exorcist does. I never intended to kill Charles, I could if I had wanted to, I just wanted to do enough to shake them up a bit y’know. And yeah okay I killed Maxie and Sarah but I saved the Maitlands from a fate worse than death. I’m the hero here!’

           ‘And what of the girl?’

           ‘What about her?’

           ‘You haven’t defended yourself there.’ Beetlejuice faltered.

           ‘Well of course not. So I struck up a conversation with her, so what?’

           ‘You know the rules. You provided proof of life after death.’

           ‘Psssh, she knew that already. Not my fault she can see and hear us.’

           ‘Regardless,’ interrupted the shrunken headed ghoul, ‘you still spoke with her. You tried to get her to say your name to release you, which she eventually did.’

           ‘Yep, and if your check your records Small Head, that was done without any possession or sneaky tricks on my side. The only times I was summoned, was when people called me for help... both times I was backstabbed.’

           ‘You tried to force her to marry you...!’

           ‘She agreed! I kept up my end of the bargain!’

           ‘Order order!’ Judge Mental banged a bone shaped gavel three times. Small Head and Beetlejuice backed down.

           ‘There’s enough evidence here to send you to the sandworms,’ he shrieked. ‘Nothing will give me great pleasure.’ Beetlejuice gulped. ‘However...’ However? He wasn’t expecting a ‘However’.

‘Those lousy ghoul rights fanatics are on my case, and the case of everyone in this court room. To humour them, we have to give you a chance to redeem yourself.’

           ‘Redeem myself?’ he was genuinely surprised at this.

           ‘Yes,’ Judge Mental grinned in the most horrible way. ‘If you do what we ask you to then maybe, just maybe you’ll get off.’ Beetlejuice grinned at this.

           ‘You got it Judge. You name it I’ll do it. What’ll it be? Manual work? Civil service?’

           ‘Oh no,’ sneered the skeleton a malicious gleam in his eye. ‘Nothing like that. We have something a little more ‘creative,’ in mind.’ The ghosts face fell. He didn’t like where this was going. ‘You will journey into the land of the living and apologise to Lydia Deetz.’

           ‘What?!’ Beetlejuice spluttered so much he began a coughing fit.

           ‘Furthermore she must accept your apology and forgive you.’

           ‘This is complete horseshit!’ yelled the poltergeist. ‘You know she’ll never forgive me in a million years!’

           ‘If she doesn’t there’s another alternative,’ sneered the judge. He nodded to a nearby man whose face was hidden behind an executioners mask.  He pulled a leaver next to him. A hole in the ground opened just inches behind Beetlejuice and he jumped forward. Beneath them, a sandy wasteland was visible and the next second an unmistakable cry on a huge purple and green sandworm rang out as they reared up. Inside their gaping mouths was a second head filled with dagger like teeth, their eyes wild with hunger and anticipation.

           ‘The choice is yours Beetlejuice,’ said Small Head above the roars. ‘Take it or leave it to them.’ Beetlejuice gritted his teeth. What choice did he have?

           ‘Fine!’ he shouted. The judge gave another nod and the executioner closed the hole. ‘Just give me a few days to come up with a plan and how to approach it...’

           ‘That’s another thing,’ interrupted the judge. ‘This is a time sensitive assignment. We’re giving you an allotted timescale.’ Beetlejuice stared at him.

           ‘How long?’ he asked shiftily.

           ‘Twenty four hours.’

           ‘Are you kidding?’

           ‘Starting from the moment you leave this courtroom.’

           ‘But... but... she won’t even call my name! How am I supposed to get her to listen to me?’

           ‘You’re the ‘ghost with the most,’ Beetlejuice,’ shrugged Judge Mental, ‘figure it out.’ Beetlejuice was stunned.  A guard stepped forward and released the cuffs. He stood on the spot for a few seconds with several different emotions flooding through him. When he failed to vent one he threw his hands up in exasperation and stormed from the room. As the door slammed behind him, the Judge descended from the platform as the court dispersed.

           ‘Do you really think Beetlejuice will be able to do this?’ asked Small Head.

           ‘Absolutely not,’ smirked Judge Mental removing his wig. ‘He’ll be fed to the sandworms by this time tomorrow.’

           ‘But suppose he succeeds,’ pressed Small Head. ‘If there’s one thing we know about him it’s to expect the unexpected, he’s so slippery.’

           ‘Trust me,’ grinned the skeleton. ‘We’ll be keeping a close eye on things between the two of them. He’s got to get her to summon him first. That will take some time.’ And with that, he was gone from the court. Small Head looked around at the now empty court. Twenty four hours. Could it really be done?

Outside the cool evening air, breezed against Beetlejuice’s face. In the distance, he could hear the clock striking six.

           ‘Okay,’ he said with a deep sigh. ‘Lydia Deetz, you best be ready kid. You’re about to get a visit from the ghost with the most.’