Title: Nephew Dearest

Summary: Casper believes his uncles don't give a damn for him so he runs away. But what happens, after a combination of drunkenness, depression and lethargy, when he falls terribly sick? Will his uncles finally swallow their pride and quit denying the fact that they really do love him? Or will Casper be lost from them forever? Inspired by a poem about an abused child. Enjoy!

Genre: Angst/Tragedy

Rated: T for alcohol abuse and depression

A/N: Ok, I want to make it clear that I can't write accented dialogue yet. But I promise to start learning!

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Casper breathed deeply. In and out. It was a pattern he had memorized. It was probably the only option to use to divert his blood from boiling. Although he didn't have any. But if he did he would be hopping mad by now. His uncles, the notorious and rather sadistic Ghostly Trio, have been mowing him down the millisecond he got up. You might think that would have been completely in schedule for Casper but due to puberty, his teenage temper had almost finished being built up and he was really cheesed off when they began another one of those mindless lecture entitled 'Smarten-up-and-lose-the-friendly-act-if-you-know-what's-best-for-you', Now Casper really did love his uncles no matter how chaotic they can be. But there were limitations; even to a friendly ghost. And now he had to make a healthy breakfast for four maniacs who don't care! Casper blanched at that realization. They didn't care. Not for their own living, not Dr. Harvey and Kat or even…him. They simply didn't care.

The realization crumbled Casper's heart like a child curiously picking at a stale roll. Tears drizzled from his once gleaming blue eyes. Now they were shadowed over by the horrifying truth of the situation. He felt like one of those abused children he watched on self-help seminars. Suddenly, as though his brain finally clicked together, he perked up. Why was he letting them wrap him around their fingers? He should be rebelling. It would be a huge contrast to his normally sweet and friendly nature but he ought to. It'd serve them right. Casper didn't have long to ponder about how he was going to rebel for suddenly…

"I want it!"

"Well, I need it!"

"You had it yesterday and the day before that…"

"You kept interrupting me while I was watching, dope!"

"Well, if you hadn't made me spill the popcorn I wouldn't have to keep coming and going to the fridge, dope!"

"I am NOT a dope!"

"Yes, you are,"

"No, I ain't,"

"Yes, you are,"

"Not,"

"Yes,"

"Not,"

"Yes!!!!"

"Not!!!!"

"Will you two JUST drop the dang thing now before my head EXPLODES?!!!!!!!!"

Right on cue, Casper thought, sighing as he watched his oldest uncle, Stretch, was telling his other much more younger and rather delusional and argumentative uncles, Stinky and Fatso about being completely immature about the damn remote control and how they were could give probably every ghost in the world a huge, overpowering migraine. Casper sneered at the three of them; what were they, 25 months or 25 years? He had strengthen his sarcasm gland by carefully listening and noting down whatever Stretch spouted whenever he was ranting. It'll be good for a little an-eye-for-an-eye philosophy. His train of thought was soon derailed. "Hey Short Sheet, you done making breakfast yet?" Stretch inquired after calming down a little. "Yeah, we're wasting away here," Fatso proclaimed, looking starved even though he had ate practically 5 gallons of buttered and caramelized popcorn.

Showtime, Casper sneered and whipped his checkered apron off his waist. And he did the most fatal thing possible. "No," he said solemnly. "No and not ever." Victory! Target hit! Stretch turned on him almost immediately. "What's that you just said?" He asked in a voice so venomous that the statement he said was almost enough to match the quantity of a black widow spider. Casper held his deathly glare. If looks could kill, Casper was totally lucky to be dead already. Shining violet met clouded blue. Round 2, commence! "I said: NO." Casper whispered in a tone which showed he was rebelling and loving every minute of it. Stretch was clearly taken aback and so were Stinky and Fatso. "Well, you'd better get in there and finish it!!" The self-appointed leader jabbed a finger in the direction of the kitchen. The other two members wisely backed away. After a cheesing off from Stretch, you wouldn't want a second helping.

"Why should I?" Casper asked steely. Stretch was boiling over yet again. "How about because we allow a roof over you head…" The lie made Casper's rebellion cracked as depression filled it up. "We also allow you 3 square meals a day, to go out whenever you want to and we have to care for you!!! How can you be nothing but a selfish brat who never learns how to scare even after we gave up our vacation last week to teach you…" Casper blocked out the rest of the mindless ranting after the words 'selfish brat'. They were calling him selfish. The tears were beginning to flow again. No, he couldn't cry. Not in front of the Ghostly Trio. Not ever! But the rage that was heating up inside of him was reaching the limits! So, his nerves broke.

"NO, YOU GUYS NEVER CARED!!!! WHO TAKES CARE OF THE HOUSE WHEN YOU GUYS GO ON VACATION?!!!! YOU GUYS ARE NEVER GRATEFUL TO ME AT ALL!!!! I HATE YOU!!! I HATE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!! I WISHED YOU ALL HAD CROSSED OVER INSTEAD OF MOM AND DAD!!!! I ENVY THE CHILDREN IN THE ORPHANAGE; AT LEAST THEY DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH YOU THREE FUCKERS!!!! I DON'T EVER WANT TO HEAR YOU LIE ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU LOVE ME BECAUSE YOU DON'T!!!!! WHY AM I SUCH A DISGRACE TO YOU!?!!! SURE, I'M FRIENDLY BUT STOP MAKING YOURSELVES MISERABLE AND ME TOO!!!! OR IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FROM FUCKING IDIOTS LIKE YOU?!!!!" Casper thundered, the force and anger of his words burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. The Ghostly Trio, Stretch especially, was speechless.

Casper had never rebelled before. What was the change in the air that prompted this? And he even included curses! What was wrong with him? But what really tore his uncles apart were the fact that Casper thought they didn't love him. When they were alive, Casper was a distant relative of them. The family blood in them was so diluted, Casper thought they never existed. And when his parents died of a terrible airplane crash while flying to Australia, custody was immediately trusted to them. Yes, they might have hated Casper from the start. But they had grown to love this kind-hearted 7-year old ghost who had just now transformed into a fiery-tempered adolescent. Their love for him frightened them and as a result they begun to make Casper their personal slave. But now Casper was accusing them of not loving him. Stretch, for once, looked aghast. Especially when Casper floated away to the door.

"Don't you even think about running away!! It's hanging around with those blood balloons that have changed you!! They'll only tear you into pieces so don't even try!!" Casper stopped at that point. He wanted to smart-mouth his uncle at that point but opted to be bitter instead. "I don't think that will happen because they can't tear something you three already tore." His voice was stony and overflowed with poison. With that, he phased through the door and into the frigid winter morning. "FINE!! See if we care!!!" Stretch shouted after him. Casper ignored his sinking heart and focused on his runaway mission. After the whole sarcasm duel, the Ghostly Trio exchanged glances before they noticed some water droplet stains on the grimy floor. They perked up instantly. They were doing something they had never done before. Not even at their brother's funeral. They were crying.

Meanwhile…

Snow. Such a pretty pristine white substance. Casper smiled feebly as the gentle flakes landed on him. He fingered them carefully. After downing countless martini glasses at the local bar, he was super woozy now. He had a lot of fun today. First, with showing his uncles a piece of his mind. Second, the alcohol acted as penicillin for his depression. Third, snow was chilling him to the bone. He laughed hysterically with wild abandonment. He sprawled himself on the ice in snow angel style. Before hearing a sharp crackling sound! Oh shit.

Later…

"Are you really sure we shouldn't go looking for him?" Stinky was, secretly, worried for Casper. Teenagers nowadays do maniacal stuff. Casper might even contemplate crossing over. Stretch had a mask of coldness on. But underneath he was dying. Casper actually yelled at him after all these years of being quiet and friendly. He called them uncaring and cold-hearted. Maybe they should have given a hint about how much they loved him. Just a teeny, tiny hint of how much they would want to hold him in their arms. But they held back and locked their feelings in their hearts. What had happened with the bond between them? You're supposed to love your nephew, not hate and torture him. Fatso silently flipped through the channels with grieving silence. When…

"We interrupt this program for a special bulletin: The body of a 13-year old child has been found at Coffin's Creek at approximately 11a.m. He is now rushed to the ICU unit of the hospital. Doctors have found out that he is a depressed, drunk and abused child. Here's a picture of the casualty." The droning newspaperman gestured to a picture next to him. "Um…guys?" Fatso pointed to the screen. Stretch and Stinky watched in wide-eyed shock and horror.

"Casper."