A Fair Trade - ch 2

Lydia wasn’t sure how long it had been since Betelgeuse had disappeared, though the threats and the banging had ceased some time ago. She couldn’t help but wonder what the poltergeist had done to the abusive fuck. A tiny part of her, the small sliver of revenge, wished that she had been there to see it through. Taken slightly back by the line of thinking, the young mother shook her head to try and loosen the dark thoughts. A sigh escaped her, while she rested her cheek on her child’s head and waited for the dead man to say it was all well and good.

As Lydia waited, she mused over the situation that she had landed herself in. She didn’t regret her decision. No, if she had not called the poltergeist and agreed to his terms, Luke would have killed them both that was for damn sure. The twisted abusive twat would have done it without a damn hesitation and probably would have had some drugged-up crack whore help him dispose of their bodies. Lydia really hoped that whatever Betelgeuse was doing to him was slow and fucking painful. Once again, she really wished that she could have been there to watch the prick cry like a little bitch as he withered in pain. Maybe Betelgeuse would have let her get in a few kicks of her own. She was disturbed by how blissfully happy she felt at her thoughts. Shit, maybe she was more unbalanced than she had believed.

Groaning lowly, she moved her thoughts once again away from the dark and dreary and went to her daughter. Her beautiful and now quiet child. It was funny, as soon as she had agreed to marry that dirty old poltergeist, Lucy had stopped her crying. Maybe that had something to do with the immediate wave of calm that had settled into her. It was like her mind was telling that they were safe with the dead man.

Lydia looked up when she heard the bathroom lock flip and watched as the door swung open to reveal her soon to be husband. With his arms spread out widely, Betelgeuse stepped through the threshold dressed in that tacky looking tux and he grinned down at her. “Problem’s gone Babes.”
The poltergeist stalked towards his wife-to-be and he stopped inches from her. Leaning down, he reached out and grabbed her arm to haul her to her feet. The dead man towered over the tiny woman and continued to grin at her. “Now for your end of the bargain, Sweets.”

She swallowed roughly and squared her shoulders. A deal was a deal and this time she wouldn’t back out of it. Her gaze did turn to the floor length mirror on the wall and caught her bloody reflection. She was literally a bloody mess and in no way fit to get hitched. She felt her face flush with embarrassment, as she turned back to her fiancée. “I’m such a mess.” She looked down at her bloodied clothes, then back to him “I’m not in any way suitable for a wedding. I should try to clean up, just a little…” She tried to pull away, but the poltergeist held firmly to her arm. “I got this Babes.” He snapped his fingers and in seconds, she was clean and dressed in red satin.

Her dark eyes moved back to the mirror and gasped at her reflection. ‘Oh my…’ Lydia thought to herself as she eyed her shocked image. The dead man had really out done himself this time. Betelgeuse had removed all of the blood and replaced it with some smoky makeup, while throwing her hair up in a simple updo. As for her dress, it was not the hot mess that he had thrown her in before. No, this time the dress was a formfitting red satin number with some red strappy heels. Dare she say that she looked, well, beautiful.

A rattle sounded, drawing Lydia’s attention to her tiny daughter and to her surprise, Betelgeuse had dressed Lucy in a swaddle of black lace. Her blonde hair was held together with a black beetle barrette. She was also waving around a bat shaped rattle, which she conveniently put in her small mouth. Lydia smiled brightly and lifted Lucy up, so she could fully see her. “Oh Lulu, look at how pretty you are. You look just like a little bug.”

She continued to coo at her, as a snort came from the dead man next to them. He cocked his head and eyed the small child. “She does, doesn’t she? Well hell, that wasn’t my intention but hey, must be destiny or some shit like that.” Betelgeuse plucked the little girl from her mother’s arms and held her to him. He gave the tiny child a smile, while his smoky voice seemed to soften. “Come on lil bug. We got a wedding to get to.” The poltergeist held his arm out for Lydia and she gave him a skeptical look. He rolled his eyes, before speaking “Woman, I’m tryin’ to be a gentleman here. Will ya go with it?”

Lydia let out a sigh and slipped her arm through his. The poltergeist had saved their lives after all, so she would cut the dead man some slack. Her stomach did a bunch of somersaults, but her steps never faltered. She would keep her word and marry this man.

They made their way to what had used to be her living room and there just like before was the ugly preacher man. The little man cleared his throat and looked at Betelgeuse “Are we ready to begin?”

The poltergeist grinned madly and nodded his head at the preacher “Yep. We are ready to go.”

Lydia bit her lip and pulled back slightly from the dead man. She had already decided to honor her deal with him, but maybe he hadn’t really thought about what he was getting into.

He turned to look at her when he felt her pull away, a frown marring his rugged face. “You ain’t thinking about backin’ out, are ya Babes?”

She shook her head, but stood her ground. “Are you sure you want to marry me? It’s just not me you would be getting, but Lucy as well.”

His green eyes went from her to her babbling daughter, then back to her with a firm nod. “I know what I’m getting into. I don’t think you understand what it means for me to marry someone with a kid.”
Lydia cocked her head and asked her question. “So what does it mean for you?”

Betelgeuse shifted Lucy higher on his hip, before he answered her. “This little bug will become mine. Not just on paper, but she will have some of my juice running through her veins. She may have been his, but as soon as we say I do, she will be my flesh in blood.”

The nervous woman didn’t know what to say. What he had just explained to her was not something that she had been prepared for. “Okay then.” Yeah that pretty much summed it up…

He gave her an amused look, before turning away and grinning widely at the silent preacher. “Now we’re ready. Let’s get this show on the road.”

The ceremony had gone faster than she had thought it would and soon they were exchanging rings. Then the ugly preacher was announcing them man and wife and for Betelgeuse to kiss his bride.

Lightening flashed outside, as the poltergeist grabbed onto her and kissed her soundly. Her small hand latched onto his lapel to steady herself, while her new husband plundered her mouth. It wasn’t a bad kiss and it didn’t taste like she had thought it would either. He tasted slightly of mint, which seemed to indicate that he must have tried to clean himself up this time around, but underneath that, was an earthy and nutty flavor that she assumed was what he normally tasted like.

When he pulled away, he gave her a serious expression as he asked her to say his name. “Say my name Babes.” She nodded her black head, as his name fell from her lips. “Betelgeuse…Betelgeuse…Betelgeuse…” Each time she said it, his lips grew wider and wider until the third time came, and he was still with them. His green eyes flashed brightly, and he swung her around, as he whooped and hollered with joy.

A small giggle erupted in between them, causing the dead man to stop and turn his attention to his new daughter. The little girl grinned wildly up at them and swung her bat rattle around. Lydia caught her daughter’s gaze and discovered that her once brown eyes were now hazel in color. The familiar jade of the poltergeist now swirled in her big doe eyes and that caused the dead man to cackle with more joy. He clicked his fingers and music sprang to life, as he began to waltz them around the room.

Lydia wasn’t sure how long that they had been dancing for but when she looked down at a now quiet Lucy, she realized that the child had finally fallen asleep. Looking up at her new husband, she cleared her throat. “Betelgeuse.” His piercing eyes found hers and he grinned dopily. “Yes, my wifey poo?”

God this man could be so corny. Her lips twitched, but Lydia kept her focus. “Lucy has fallen asleep. Maybe we should put her to bed.”

The poltergeist nodded his head, though they didn’t stop dancing as they made their way to Lucy’s bedroom. He twirled them around this way and that, stopping only when they made it to the child’s crib. Lydia shook herself free and took the sleeping baby from his arms, then carefully tucked her into bed.

A soft sigh escaped as Lydia’s attention went to her unconscious child. She couldn’t help but smile at how peaceful Lucy looked while she slept. Ah to be young and innocent and not have a care in the world. ‘Wouldn’t that be nice?’ Lydia mused to herself, as her husband’s hands went around her and rested on the bar of the crib.

Betelgeuse moved his body closer, effectively caging her in between himself and the bed, while his chin went to rest on her shoulder. His breath tickled the shell of her ear and his gruff tone washed over her. “She sure is a pretty thing, isn’t she?”

Lydia felt another smile bubbled forth and her raven head bobbed in agreement “Yes she is. You know, she was the best thing to come out of that terrible situation. I can’t understand how something so sweet could come from someone that horrible.”

She heard the poltergeist sigh again and what he said next caught her off guard. “Babes, just because something so sweet comes from someone so terrible, doesn’t mean it was meant for that person. Sometimes…they are just the bridge to something better.”

Wow. Who knew that he was so deep? Maybe there was something more do this dead man. Lydia peered over her shoulder at him and sent a grin of her own. “You that something better?”

His shoulders shrugged, while he pulled away and twirled her from the crib then into his arms. “Not sure. Maybe you’re something better for me. Not everybody gets a light, maybe ya both are mine.”

She felt her heart skip a beat and resisted the urge to melt like some lovestruck teen at his mushy words. “You really do know how to sweet talk girl when you want to. I guess that was why you have been the most eligible bachelor since Valentino.” Lydia gave her new husband a smirk, as she remembered the line that he had used on her when he tried to get her to marry him the first time.

Betelgeuse just laughed, not saying another word, while he swung them out of the room and back into the living room. They slowly spun around the room, as a comfortable silence enveloped them.

The only sound other than the music was a content and tired sigh that had escaped the tiny woman when her head went to rest against the shoulder of the quiet poltergeist. They leisurely swayed with the tempo, as her eyes started to grow heavy and exhaustion finally settled into her weary body. The new bride tried her hardest to keep her lids open, but soon she was lost to the darkness.

Last Chapter "A Fair Trade - Ch 1"  ~ BGLD ~ Next Chapter "A Fair Trade - Ch 3"