So this isn't the actual beginning of the story.

I'd written two endings for our lovers' last adventure: The Lydia Perspective, and the Betelgeuse Perspective.

This is the Betelgeuse one. It's pretty much the end scene from him getting sucked into the circle, to Lydia's last words to him. I wasn't going to post this at first, but I thought I would to bridge the gap between the last story and my slow comings-up with the next one.

Betelgeuse remembered a lot of things. He'd forgotten even more. Like… he remembered meeting Juno, but he couldn't exactly recall his death, or the life leading up to that death. The details were fuzzy… He couldn't remember his breather name, only the name Juno had assigned him in order to keep tabs on his powers.

He could remember one con, where he'd forgotten another.

Such was the price of being dead, he supposed.

He did remember pain. All sorts of pain. Pain when he was still alive, pain after his death, and all pains in between. One pain that he would never forget or get over was the pain of being exorcised.

It had happened three times before in his afterlife. The first, he'd been so confused… it was just after his death, before he'd met Juno and had the restrictions put in place over his powers: he'd somehow managed to break out of the waiting room and fled to France, where he'd holed up in a tiny cathedral. Possessing that young man had been an accident.

As he screamed and thrashed and begged, he'd suddenly been yanked from the body and dropped into a dusty old chair in a smoky office.

"You dummy! What the hell is wrong with you?" Were Juno's first words to him.

He would always remember them.

The second and third times had each been spaced almost exactly a century after one another in the first half of his afterlife, when he'd gained an upper hand on his well-restricted (but still immensely potent) powers, and had grown much more reckless. Still, he'd managed to escape on his own. The details of how those exorcisms came about were fuzzy…

But this pain, this exorcism was the worst pain imaginable. Nothing compared, not even if you lumped all the suffering in his lives together.

And for the first time since he could remember, possibly since that first exorcism, he was afraid.

No, scratch that. For the first time since he could remember, he'd been afraid for himself. The poltergeist knew how to take care of himself just fine, thank you very much. The only other times he'd been afraid that he could really remember were recent, because of that doe-eyed little witch and her hot little trouble-attracting ass.

He'd refused to admit it though, because he'd gotten her back each time. He'd been there to protect her.

Now, he was afraid for himself. He was afraid for Juno. Hell, he even felt a flicker of fear for the prince. And, above all else, was this mind-crushing, nauseating fear for Lydia, because he wouldn't be able to protect her. He was going to die. These bastards were going to kill him, and then Juno and the prince. And that slime ball would rape his Babes and probably kill her too when he tired of her.

Betelgeuse didn't want to be having these thoughts. But when you are dying the Death of the Dead…

What else do you think about?

He tried to see that perfect, creamy body. Those wide, innocent, dark-chocolate eyes. Those perfect ruby lips… That gorgeous melody of a voice…

Something crashed into Betelgeuse, snapping him from the mental vortex of pain and fear. That was when he heard her voice.

And excuse him if a tear or two escaped him: his Babes was here, she was still fine, for now. The tears were in horror though, because now she was in the circle with him, and she was going to die with him. "B… Babes…"

Their eyes locked for just a fraction of a second until she tore her eyes away and began to push him. Betel had never imagined the sounds he heard, hell felt ripping from his throat would ever have come from him. The spell dug its claws into his very essence, trying to pull him back in…

And then everything was dark.

The pain was gone, replaced by a vague, not altogether unpleasant buzz as he floated off into nothingness. Shit… damn hell shit fuck fuck FUCK me I'm dead. They've exorcised me, stolen my juice, and are probably working on the others now… Way'da go Beej, ya dumbfuck. Even as he thought these things though, he began to regain his senses.

He could hear someone yelling at him, calling his name over and over again. His body tried to respond to the Name Curse, but all he could do was arch his back and fail.

And wish that he was with his Babes. Hell… even discussing the weather with her.

"Beej… Beej, please wake up?"

Ahh… that voice… Lyds… Babes… He wondered if he was grinning. He sure wanted to: he wanted to let her know that he could hear her voice.

"Betel you lazy bastard, get your ass up!"

Juno… you're safe too? I must be one lucky son of a bitch… He tried grinning again.

"Betel, I can see you smiling!"

"Beej? Beej, open your eyes, please?"

Betel took a deep, shaky, and unneeded breath, forcing his eyes open. That was when all the pain came crashing back down on him: he felt as though he was being burned, electrocuted, stabbed, beaten and drowned all at once for all the pain and disorientation that coursed through him."Sh-shit… liked… liked being unconscious better…"

The vision of his dear wifey poo swam in the center of his vision, leaning right over him as though she was ready for another wild tongue-fest. Something entered his peripheral vision, and he felt a cold hand on his cheek. "I like you better unconscious too." She teased.

Betel chuckled weakly, lifting his gaze to the ceiling behind her. There was something very important he needed to know. "Juno?" He croaked.

He felt the old woman shift beside him, and felt something grip his arm. "What is it Betel?"

"Everyone okay?"

He felt the pressure on his arm increase. "Yeah. Everyone 'cept you."

"They get away?"

She knew exactly what he meant. "…Yeah. But don't worry about it Geuse. We'll get them."

Betel sighed, letting his eyes slide closed. He tried to open his mouth to reply, but before he could get much momentum to his lips, he felt soft, warm ones brushing against them. "Everything's going to be okay Beej. Just sleep."

Well… now he couldn't exactly disobey a direct order, right? 'Specially not from his Babes. So he just sighed again, and let unconsciousness consume him.

So there it is.