A Fair Trade - Ch 6

After the shift in their relationship, nothing really changed for the married couple. Now they just had the occasional quickie while their daughter was napping to add to their daily repertoire and Betelgeuse seemed to be more hands on with her, though even before they were having sex, he had always touched her whenever it was possible. Who knew that the ghost with the most was such a touchy-feely kind of guy.

Currently the couple was stretched out in bed with a blanket draped over their hips, as the poltergeist lightly stroked his wife's side in lazy circles, while they basked in the silence.

Lulu, who was usually easy to put down, had been fussier than normal and it left the duo a little on edge. They just couldn't figure out what was causing their daughter's distress. Lydia thought that maybe they were coming down with something, it was the season for it after all and she couldn't ignore that she had started feeling slightly under the weather as of late.

The poltergeist broke the silence by whispering in his tired wife's ear. "Babe, why haven't you told them yet?" It was a simple question, but one that seemed to add to the already growing stress.

A long drawn out sigh left her and she turned around to face him, while giving him a 'not this again' look. For fuck's sake, why did he have to bring that up now? Didn't they have enough on their plate? How many times have they discussed this and how many times did it end up with them arguing? Damnit, she didn't want to argue tonight. Hell, she didn't want to argue with her husband period! "Betelgeuse please, I'm not going to get into this with you again. Are you looking for a fight?"

His pale brows rose and his hand left her side to raise in defense "I'm just asking a question that's all. I'm not lookin' for a damn fight, Sweets."

Lydia's face scrunched up in annoyance and her tone was sharper than she had intended "Then why did you bring it up?" She could see the tick in his jaw begin to flare, a sure sign that he was becoming irritated himself.

Betelgeuse sat up and stared down at her with a heated expression "We've been married for three fucking months now. Don't ya think it's about time that ya tell them about us?"

She shot back her response, clearly not understanding why this was such a big deal. "Why do you want them to know so badly?"

"Why the fuck not?" He sneered down at her in return and the tick in his jaw increasing with each passing minute.

Lydia didn't want to fight and she really didn't want to have this fucking conversation again. Didn't he understand how badly the situation could go? She wasn't sure how her family was going to react to the news. Hell, the months after the incident with the Bio-exorcist and the sham of a wedding, both couples had made it clear about their feelings for the poltergeist. None of those feelings were warm and welcoming.

The nauseous feeling that she had been experiencing lately had returned with a vengeance, causing the tiny woman to feel like she was about to get sick. Oh no, she needed some air and maybe a little space to try and clear her head. Lydia turned away from her upset husband and threw back the covers. She quickly got out of the bed, grabbing her robe and throwing it on, before padding out of the room. She could hear Betelgeuse swearing loudly, either to himself or to her, she wasn't quite sure.

Making her way down the hallway and to the French doors of the screened in porch, she flipped the lock and stepped out into the cool air. Turning around, Lydia quietly closed the door, then went to one of the windows to stare out at her darkened yard. She sucked in several deep breaths, wrapping her arms around her middle and trying hard to fight off both the nausea and the sudden urge she had to cry. Liquid welled up in her tired eyes, causing her to blink them rapidly to try and force them away. She took several more breaths, but it still didn't chase away the overwhelming emotion she was feelings and the unwanted tears slid down her face. Why was she feeling like this? Was it the stress or the lack of sleep? Why was she being so emotional? Damnit, what was wrong with her?

The door behind her softly opened then closed and the heavy footsteps of her husband echoed on the wooden boards as he quietly approached her. She felt her husband snag her waist and draw her back, so that she was resting against his chest, while he wrapped his arms underneath her own. His face buried into her raven mane, taking several deep breaths, before he pulled slightly away to console her. "Ssh…Baby…It's okay…fuck…don't cry." He kissed the back her head, then continued to talk "I didn't mean to make ya upset, Babe…I just…I need to know…" He hesitated for a second as if were struggling to find the right words. His tone was one that Lydia had never heard from the man ever, it sounded almost sad. "Sweets, are you ashamed of us? Is that why you don't want them to know?"

The question and the unexpected emotion behind it threw her off kilter and she could only cry harder. God, she was such a terrible wife. How could she make her husband think that she was ashamed of him, of them? It wasn't that at all. She was far from being ashamed and was actually proud to be this man's wife. Despite his awful reputation, he really was a good guy. Sure, he could be an ass and crude as hell, but he could also be caring and kind, though that really depended on who you were. Through her tears she let him know that being ashamed wasn't the case. "I'm not ashamed of us, not one bit. That's not it, not at all."

He slowly turned her around to face him, his forehead rested against hers, as he gently began to question her. "Then what is it, Baby?"

She clung to the poltergeist and sighed, her voice small and soft "I'm afraid." Fuck, she was straight up terrified.

He pulled back so he could look into her dark eyes and continued to lightly push her for answers. "Afraid of what, Sweets?"

She sniffled lightly and slightly bit at her trembling lip, before she resumed "I'm afraid of how they will react. They've made it bluntly clear that they don't like you, hell, its damn right hostile at times…I…I just want them to really like you, you know like I do!"

A deep sigh released from him and he let go of her waist, moving his large hands up to cup her face. "Babes, I know that they don't like me. I have no fuckin' delusions about that, but I didn't marry you for their approval. If they can't handle that shit, then that's their loss. The important thing here baby, is that I make you happy and you make me happy. All the other shit is just superficial and fuckin' insignificant."

She looked up at him with a sad gaze, her tone dropping even softer than before "What if they no longer want to speak to me?"

At the sight of her sad expression, her husband's eyes hardened, and his tone sounded angry "If they do somethin' like that, then they're bunch of fuckin' hypocrites and don't deserve ya." His hand moved to the back of her head and tugged it gently to his chest, while he kissed her crown.

Lydia closed her eyes and took in a breath, as she thought about what her husband had just said. She knew he was right; That there was nothing that she could do if they did decide to disown her. Her face flushed with embarrassment from her ridiculous behavior and buried her face within his shirt. She was acting like such a child. Christ, what was wrong with her? She pulled her face back and tilted her head up, so that her dark brown eyes met the jade ones of her husband, while a frown slid across her lips. "I'm sorry I got so shook up, Honey. I know that you didn't intend for that to happen. Damnit, I'm not sure what's wrong with me. I just haven't been feeling very good. I think I might be coming down with something."

He let out another sigh and shook his blonde head "Naw, I shouldn't be pushin' ya, babe. I know you will tell them when you're ready. I'll try to keep my hang ups to myself, sweets, but I can't always promise. I've been told I can be an ass."

"Yeah, you are, but I like you even when you are being an ass." She yawned loudly and shivered from the cool night air.

Betelgeuse hold tightened around her waist, while slowly moving them to the entrance. "Come on Babes. Let's go back to bed. If you ain't feelin' good, you shouldn't be out here to begin with. Shit, it's colder than a witch's tits out here." Letting out a small laugh, she just wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled up to his side, as he led her back into the warm house.

Last Chapter "A Fair Trade - Ch 5"  ~ BGLD ~ Next Chapter "A Fair Trade - Ch 7"