Midnight
By: 1000th Ghost
Kat laughed as her father twirled her around the room. She seemed happy. He seemed even happier. She wasn't. Was he? His behavior worried her. He never acted this way.
"Dad," she spoke, as her spun her from him, still grasping one of her hands. "Dad, why are you-" Her mind came to a standstill as her free hand was caught by another hand. A freezing hand. Cold as death.
"Dad," she tried again, the three of them becoming entangled in their strange dance once more. "What's with the sudden mood swing?"
Dr. James Harvey came to an immediate halt, letting go of his daughter's hand. She fell backwards, only to be caught by the arms of the icy hands. Mumbling a hasty apology, she shoved her thoughts away and turned her attention back to her father.
"You want to know why I'm so happy?" he beamed, facing the two of them. "Because it's all over!"
"What is?" Kat asked, confused.
"Everything! The meaningless trips! The hundreds of miles! The 'nine schools in two years'! The searching for something I could never find!"
"You mean..." Kat paused. "You're quitting the shrink business?"
"Not entirely. Just not for the dead."
Above them, the Ghostly Trio cheered.
"And..." Dr. Harvey continued, "we're leaving this place ASAP! These ghosts don't want to cross over, and I don't blame them! It's their house, let'em haunt it!"
"But, Dad...why?" Kat protested, ignoring the pinpricks of tears forming behind her eyes.
"Because I found it! I found what I couldn't find! And, sweetheart, don't worry. I'll never make you wear a tee-shirt under your bathing suit."
Kat barely heard whatever it was her father was saying. They couldn't just leave. A few weeks ago she could think of nothing she would rather do. Who wouldn't want to leave a life with no real home, no real friends, and the press breathing down your back 24/7 demanding if their father was mentally unstable? But now...no, no, she couldn't leave. Not this town. Not this house. Not...him.
"And I'll never eavesdrop on you when you're on the phone, and french-fries are not-"
Dr. Harvey was cut off from his seemingly-mad ramble by the ring of the phone.
"I bet it's Carrigan! Oh, I can't wait to tell her-"
"Dad, Ms. Crittenden is dea-"
"Dead?" Dr. Harvey exclaimed into the phone, "How can she be dead? Oh...oh, I see. How terrible. And Dibbs too? Tragic." He was silent for a long time, listening intently to the speaker. "Are you serious? To me? At that price? I can't believe it! Well, um...thank you! Thank you very much! Yes, of course, I'll be there as soon as possible. I'm leaving now. I'm in the car. G'bye!"
Dr. Harvey slammed down the phone and turned to address Kat. "Change of plans! How would you like to live here permanently?"
Kat gaped at him in shock. "Are you serious?"
He nodded. "Ms. Crittenden is dead. She had no living relatives and no written will. And since we were the last people living here the house is being sold to us at the most insanely lowest price I've ever heard of!"
"Our reputation paid off, boys!" Stinkie exclaimed.
"This calls for some celebrating! You in, Doc?"
Dr. Harvey shook his head. "I've gotta get downtown and make it official. At this late start I won't make it back till sometime tomorrow. You'll be okay alone, Bucket?"
Kat shook her head, still not able to grasp the amazing news. "Y-yeah, Dad. I'll be fine."
"She won't be alone," said the owner of the freezing hands. "I'll take care of her."
"Good, good," Dr. Harvey said absentmindedly, picking up his car keys. He gave Kat a quick kiss and practically flew out the door, the Ghostly Trio not far behind him.
Alone. They were alone. No more distractions, no more interruptions. She couldn't go on ignoring him forever. That was the last thing she wanted to do. But she was confused. She needed answers.
"Okay, Casper, spill it," she said, finally turning to face the ghost boy.
"I uh...bet you're pretty confused."
"Good guess. You think I could have an explanation?"
Casper took a deep breath. "Okay, so you were at the party, and I was in the playroom, and your mom came."
Kat stared. "Mom? Is she a ghost?"
He shook his head. "Nope. An angel."
"What-what did she say?"
"She said she was going to reward me for giving your dad the potion. She was going to make me alive."
Kat stared at him, confused. "But you're not-"
"Only till ten."
She glanced at the clock. Ten past ten.
"Wow. Mom. Guess that explains Dad's behavior. So then...?"
Casper shrugged. "You said if I was alive you would go to the dance with me."
"O-oh, yeah. I uh, I guess I did."
"Kat?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you mad at me?"
Kat stared at him. "Why would I be mad at you?"
"I don't know. I kind of crashed your party. And I stole you from your..." He struggled to get the word out. "...date. Maybe I shouldn't have come."
"Are you nuts?" Kat exclaimed. "Vic and Amber ran away screaming before I even got there. He never really wanted to go with me in the first place. I was miserable until you came."
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry? I just told you-"
"No, I mean, I'm sorry Vic turned out to be a jerk."
Kat smiled. "You told me that from the get go, remember? I was just stupid enough to not listen."
"Then you're not mad at me?"
"Of course not."
"Not even that I kissed you?"
Kat felt her cheeks grow hot. "It wasn't like I didn't have my part in it," she thought.
"Um...so, how did it feel? Being alive again, I mean," she asked, purposely ignoring his question.
"Great!" He flew backwards a few feet. "Man, if I could just stay that way..."
"Yeah, if only he could just stay that way..." Kat thought.
"Are you sure there's no way?" she asked hopelessly.
"Potion's gone. Your mom's gone. What else is there?" He shrugged, indicating that the whole thing was futile.
"Well..." Kat racked her brain. "How do you know the potion's gone?"
Casper stared at her. "Your dad used it, remember?"
"Yeah, but..." Kat began to talk faster as the idea started to take form. "If your dad was so obsessed with bringing you back to life, why would he only make one potion? I mean, what if it got broken or lost? How do you know that he didn't make a backup copy?"
Casper gasped. "I never thought of that!"
A little while later, the two teenagers were in the laboratory, staring at the Lazarus.
"Where would he have put it?" Kat asked.
"Definitely somewhere only I would know. It's not like he wanted the public to get a hold of it."
"But where would-"
They both froze and stared at each other. "The treasure!"
Casper flew down to the treasure chest and pushed the baseball items out of the way. Suddenly, there was a loud 'click', and a panel opened in the side of the chest. Kat crossed her fingers as he reached in...and pulled out the bottle of blood red liquid.
"I...I don't believe it!" she exclaimed, staring at the potion in awe.
Casper just shook his head. "Wow."
They both were still for a moment, simply staring at the bottle.
"What are you waiting for?" Kat finally exclaimed. "Get in, get in!"
Casper didn't need to be told twice. He flew towards the door of the Lazarus but then stopped and looked back.
"Kat?"
She looked up from the controls of the machine. "Hmm?"
"I..." He stopped.
"Yes?"
"I-I don't know. I feel like I should say something."
Kat smiled. "Tell me after."
Casper smiled too and flew into the machine.
Kat took a deep breath – and pulled the lever.
The Lazarus started to steam and hiss, its various parts moving in unison.
"Come on..." she whispered under her breath. "Work!"
After what seemed like an eternity, the machine stopped. The air cleared, and the room grew quiet. Then the door creaked open.
Kat walked over with bated breath. What if it hadn't worked? What if the potion was stale or not the right one? What if the machine could only be used once? What if something had happened to him? She couldn't bear to think of it.
She stopped in front of the door, her eyes tightly closed. "Are you alive?"
"I don't know," Casper replied. "Am I?"
Kat nervously opened her eyes, afraid of what she might see.
"Well?" he asked.
"Oh, Casper!" She stepped into the machine and threw her arms around his neck.
He returned her embrace, burying his face in her hair.
Minutes?, Hours?, Days? later they pulled back.
"What was it you were going to tell me?" Kat finally asked.
"I…" Without answering, he lifted her in his arms and flew into the air.
She screamed and looked down, clutching him tightly. "Casper! What are you doing? Put me down!"
Ignoring her protests, he flew out of the room, then higher and higher until they were inside the pointed ceiling of a tower. He set her down on a ledge, then sat down beside her.
Kat looked down at the floor, a good thirty feet below them, and shuddered.
"Why did you bring me up here-" she started, then stopped as she noticed the exquisite scenery. The top of the tower was domed shaped, its sides made entirely of glass. Through them she could see miles in any direction, the moonlight shining in and illuminating everything.
Casper shrugged. "I figured if you liked the lighthouse so much, you would like this, too."
Kat sighed. "It's amazing…wait. Why can you still fly?"
"I don't know! I guess it's some sort of a souvenir.
"Just as long as you never drop me…" Kat joked.
"You know I would never hurt you," he said, completely serious.
"Of course not," Kat said, leaning against the glass wall. "You still haven't told me what you were going to tell me."
"Oh, that. I guess it really doesn't matter, but I was wondering. What do I look like?"
She was taken aback. "You mean, you don't know?"
"Let me guess. It's not bad, but it's sad, right?"
Kat laughed. "Neither. It's stupid. Why didn't you look in the mirror before you came to the party?"
He suddenly looked at her very seriously, all traces of humor gone. "I only had until ten. I didn't want to waste any time."
"I don't think looking in the mirror would have been a waste of time."
"Anything without you would have been a waste of time."
Kat felt herself blushing and was grateful for the dark. Nevertheless, she glanced up and smiled at him. "Well…" she began, "You're a little bit taller than me. You have blue eyes. You actually have a tan."
Casper laughed. "And check this out." He held up his hand. "Five fingers."
Kat held up her hand and pressed it against his. "This is going to take some getting used to. I expected my hand to go through yours like before."
Casper threaded his fingers through hers, and she did likewise. "I'm pretty sure I like this better."
Kat released her hand and brushed it through his bangs. "Your hair is blond. And soft."
"Cut to the chase."
Kat arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Am I better looking than Vic or not?"
She nearly fell off the ledge from laughing so hard. "Better thanVic? Of course, you're better than Vic! World's better!"
Casper smiled. "That's all I needed to hear."
The clock below chimed eleven times, startling them both.
"We should probably go to bed," Kat said, yawning.
"As you wish," Casper replied playfully, picking her up once again and flying her down to the floor.
The two began walking through the hallways, then up the stairs.
"Well…goodnight," Kat said, not entirely sure of what she should say.
"Goodnight," Casper replied, continuing to follow her.
She turned to the right. So did he. Left. Left.
"Why is he following me?" she thought. "I told him I was going to bed."
Kat finally stopped outside the open bedroom door. "Oh, I get it! He's walking me to my room. How sweet."
"Goodnight, Casper," she said again.
To her surprise, he walked past her and into the room.
He turned to look at her. "You're not sleeping in that, are you?" he asked.
She looked down at her lacy gown she had worn to the party.
"Uh…no," she said, eyeing him curiously. She picked up her pajamas off the floor and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
"Why is he still here?" she thought as she got dressed. "I guess I can't blame him. He's just getting used to being alive; he doesn't want to leave me." She smiled at this thought and stepped out of the room.
"You're still here?" she asked in surprise.
He looked around, confused. "Where else would I be?"
"Well, I told you I was going to bed. You should, too." She paused. "Don't worry, I'll still be here in the morning," she joked.
"Yeah, I know. And I am going to bed." He walked over to the bedroom door and closed it, enveloping them in darkness broken only by the full moon outside.
"Well, then…" Kat glanced around helplessly. "Go!"
He stared at her, confused again. "Go where?"
"To bed! To your room!"
"Um…I'm already here…"
Kat mentally slapped herself. She had forgotten that this was his old room. Of course, he expected to sleep there.
"Look, Casper, we'll figure this out in the morning. Just sleep somewhere else tonight. There're plenty of spare rooms."
"Why would I sleep somewhere else?"
"Because I'm sleeping here!"
"So?"
"'So'?" She rolled her eyes. "So you're a guy and I'm a girl. How are we supposed to both sleep in a room with only one bed?"
"What do you mean? We did every other night."
"Well…yes, but…" Kat paused. He did have a point. But things had changed.
"It's different now, Casper," she attempted to explain. "You're not a ghost. It's not like you can curl up like a cat on the foot of the bed."
He shrugged. "It's still my room."
"It was your room," she corrected. "Now it's mine."
He crossed his arms. "Is not!"
Kat yawned. She was too tired to argue. "Look. My clothes, my books, my pictures. My room." She walked passed him and laid down on the bed, facing away from him. She pulled the covers over her head and decided to leave it at that.
"My room," she heard him say. "My window, my rug, my mirror." Her heart skipped a beat as she felt him slide into bed next to her. "My bed."
"Hey!" she exclaimed, turning to face him. She grasped his shoulders in a half-willed attempt to shove him off.
"Hey…" he replied, circling his arms around her waist.
Kat sat straight up and stepped onto the floor. "Casper…" she started, unsure of what she wanted to say. "We can't…I mean…it's not…" She trailed off.
Casper got out of bed and stood facing her from the other side of the room. "What's not what?" he asked.
"Do you love me?"
"Of course," he replied, completely unaffected by her direct question.
"Do I love you?"
This one stumped him. He hoped she did, and at times it almost seemed that she did, but other times he wasn't sure. "I don't know," he finally answered. "Do you?"
"See? That's the problem."
"The problem?" he repeated, arching an eyebrow.
"You love me, but you don't know if I love you. What kind of a person am I, leaving you in the dark all this time?"
"What do you mean?"
Kat sighed. "I've loved you the whole time," she admitted, staring at the floor. "And I knew that you loved me. But I wouldn't tell you. I never thought we could be together, a ghost and a human. I would grow old, you would stay the same. That's why I said I'd go to the dance with Vic. I was trying to forget about you." She sighed again. "But it didn't work, of course. I couldn't stop. And when you told me about the Lazarus…I was so excited! I just…wow! We would actually be the same! It could work. And then…at the party…oh, I could have died, I was so happy!" She shook her head. "And all this time, I never told you. I kept you worrying and wondering." She shook her head again and walked over to the bed. She fell down on it and draped her arms over her eyes. "I was so cruel. I'm so sorry. I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to me again."
Casper just stared at her, shocked by her speech. Then he lay on the bed and faced her, propped up by his elbow. "So…you never told me, all this time?" he said, smiling.
She lowered her arms and brushed away a tear, still not looking at him. "Mm-hmm."
Wordlessly, he shifted over so that he was on top of her, his arms holding him up from above her shoulders. "Kat?"
"Hmm?" she answered, hesitantly.
"Can I keep you?"
Kat nodded, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
Eyes closed, he leaned down and kissed away the tear. Then he moved to her lips, barley touching them at all, as if he was afraid she wasn't really there, that she would disappear.
Kat moved her arms up to his neck, forcing him to come closer. Neither of them made a sound, the roaring sea the only thing breaking the silence. The kiss was inexperienced and much too long, but they were too wrapped up in their moment of perfection to care.
"There's a girl…on my bed…and I'm kissing her," Casper thought. "I'm kissing Kat on my bed." He opened his mouth slightly, asking her permission.
Kat panicked. She took hold of his shoulders and shoved him away, breaking the kiss.
"Casper…" she panted, "what are you doing?"
"What do you think?" he answered slyly.
"Well, I think that you're a teenage boy."
"And…?"
"And teenage boys only think about one thing," she said matter-of-factly.
Casper laughed. "Don't worry. I won't go that far."
This did nothing to settle Kat's nerves. "And how far exactly do you plan on going?"
Casper smiled slightly. "As far as you let me."
Kat leaned forward as if to kiss him but fell back again.
"Go ahead," he coaxed.
"I've never done anything like this before," she admitted, staring into his eyes.
"Me neither. And no, I can't hurt you, and you can't hurt me."
Kat laughed nervously. "Casper, I just…I can't…"
"Kat, please." He wouldn't let her get away, not now, not when he finally had her.
"Casper…"
"You don't have to worry…you won't feel a thing…I'll be so gentle…I promise…"
Kat stared at him, and a soft cry escaped from her throat. She wanted him, and he knew it. What else could she do?
"Kat…kiss me…" he breathed, leaning towards her.
She did, and the still perfection was back. He kept his promise and didn't rush her; they were content with the simplicity. But the room was too warm and the moon was too full and the air was too dark and their feelings were too strong.
"Just a little bit farther," he promised himself, "Just a little bit."
He kissed her harder, deeper, and she eagerly responded. Thoughts of sleep were now forgotten; there was only here and now and him and her.
The clock struck twelve.
He rolled off of her, and then both lay staring at the ceiling.
"It's midnight," he observed.
"Yeah."
"We should probably get some sleep."
"Alright."
"Goodnight, Kat."
"Goodnight."
Whose room was it? It didn't matter. They were asleep in each other's arms, content with the simplicity.
The End