The Second…

Disclaimer: I don' own noth'n!

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A/N: Here we go again! (Oh yes, forgive me for saying gaze so many times too… I dunno any better word; I should read a thesaurus or something…)

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Kat came home later that afternoon after she had spent most of the day studying for the exam she knew always came before a fun school activity such as the prom. "I'm home…" she said tiredly but saw no one around. "Dad? Casper?" she called but no one answered. She went up to the rooms and saw her father snoozing on his bed with papers on his chest, his glasses placed on the night-table. "Dad always works himself to sleep…" she muttered to herself and decided a nap was a good idea when she felt a yawn creeping up on her.

She all but fell on her bed and was out like a light. She didn't know how long she had slept before she felt hot hair on her cheek. Kat opened her eyes to stare into the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen and blushed. If it weren't for the innocent, warmth in Casper's eyes she would probably have let him do as he wished right then and there… she blushed and shook the very inappropriate thought from her mind. This was Casper! Then again he was there, living, and male… she wondered what he thought of her. That's when she realized she was staring and she looked away with a blush.

"How long was I out?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably. Casper caught her nervousness, some might think that he was naïve and didn't know much about the male and female sexual-maturity thing but one must remember how long he had been around and the very fact that he not only knew how to kiss her but he knew what she liked since he spent so much time with her. He smiled tenderly at her, keeping his own shyness from showing to help her feel a bit more secure.

"It's morning… you slept through dinner. Long day yesterday?" he asked. Kat was suddenly all at once aware of just how different he sounded and she wondered why she hadn't picked up on that when he presented himself. She reasoned that it was such a shock to see him alive and thriving that she missed on the little details and was lost in the big picture. She remembered he asked her a question and stuttered out a reply.

"Y-Yeah, I was studying for a big test today… today? OH GEEZ! What time is it?!" She asked him, frantically looking for her alarm and almost falling off the bed. With his quick reflexes he was able to catch her from what would have been the start of a nasty morning and laughed.

"Easy! Relax it's still early enough to wash up and eat breakfast…" he said soothingly. She sighed in relief and smiled at him, blushing by the way he held onto her and that's when Casper noticed and looked at themselves. He was sitting on the bed with her almost over his lap. His hands held her arms gently and her hands braced herself on his lap. Their noses where almost touching. Casper slowly leaned forward, waiting for her to back away if she wished but found her leaning toward him as well. As before, their lips got mere centimeters from each other before Dr. Harvey emerged through the door way, knocking on the already open door.

"Uh… I hope I'm not interrupting something… important." He said with a slight warning in his tone. Casper held his tongue from asking him to give them a minute but knew it would not bode well with them so he simply smiled.

"Did you need to ask one of us something?" Casper asked politely. James straightened and smiled at the boy he would gladly someday call "Son". Whish by the look of things was sure to happen soon... he just hoped it wouldn't be THAT soon...

"Casper… how would you like to go to school next year? As a senior in high school?" He asked carefully. Casper thought a moment, his brows knitting thoughtfully. He turned to Kat who looked eager for an answer as much as James did.

"Well… Would you guys help me?" He asked, not liking the idea of skipping so many grades but knowing he would be able to pull through if he had help. Kat and James grinned,

"Of course!" Kat said enthusiastically. Casper smiled warmly at her with relif filling his eyes then turned to look at James.

"Sure, I'd like that." He said softly. James grinned once more and left to continue his work. "Well…" Casper said a moment later. "I'd better go make breakfast or it'll get late." He said, reluctantly pulling away and getting up but not so secretively brushing his hand against hers as he rose from the bed. Kat smiled shyly at him, feeling giddy and school-girl-having-crush like. As soon as he left she let out a breath and smiled to herself. She was SO happy she had him in her life; it would be so boring and dull without him!

A little later Kat sat at the kitchen table watching him move around the kitchen with interest. Casper seemed to have a sort of zeal about him, a grace and purpose in his steps. She was awed by how quickly he mastered his "fleshie" body. She once again wondered how well he had mastered his body and blushed furiously, how could she think such a thing? 'Well let's see, I'm 17, I haven't ever had a decent boyfriend, my first meaningful kiss was more then three years ago and the books I read aren't exactly helping either…' she reasoned and shook her head, trying to dismiss the inappropriate thoughts and images. Casper set the plate of food before her and another for himself. James wasn't even at the table this morning, probably pouring over his work.

The two ate in silence; it was both comfortable and filled with anxiety. She finished quickly and stood, getting her bag ready for school. Casper watched her sort through papers and select the books she needed. He found the way she organized and concentrated on the task at hand oddly attractive. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she thought, her hips moving with the movement. She bit her lip in concentration, chewing idly. He soon realized he was staring when she turned to look at him. Kat could feel the heat from his eyes on her almost physically and she turned to see his normally breath-taking-ly light blue eyes now dark with something she would not have dreamt she would see from him.

Casper seemed to snap out of whatever thought he was playing with and he smiled at her like nothing had happened but she could still almost sense the waves of heat coming from him even as he sat three yards away. "Ready to go?" he asked calmly, she snapped out of her own thoughts and nodded, unable to keep another blush from escaping her. She turned to hide it but Casper saw it. Funny how a few days ago they had thought of themselves as nothing but close friends and now… and now he didn't know what to think.

"I'd better go…" she said uneasily and he watched her leave. Casper leaned back against the chair and thought of their situation. They where both in the peak of their hormonally-charged teenage years and they obviously both felt the same way about each other… or at least he hoped the feeling was mutual. Later that day Kat came home and sat on the couch with a heavy sigh. James peeked his head from his office.

"Kat?" he called.

"Yeah?" she responded.

"How was the exam?" he asked.

"Long…" she said somberly, she heard him chuckle.

Casper chose that instance to emerge from where ever he was, he smiled cheerfully at her as was his custom greeting but was now amplified by his human features. She smiled back as calmly as she could and turned the TV on. He sat next to her and they fell in a comfortable silence, watching whatever was on together. Kat decided to turn in early, knowing the next day would be long and full of fun, or at least she hoped it would be fun... As she sat on her bed and gazed at the picture of her mother she was assailed by memories of her mother preparing her for a school dance and how she would make her the costumes to beautifully. Before she knew it she was sobbing and next thing she knew she was in the arms of Casper again as he tried to sooth and comfort her.

She must have fallen asleep because all she remembered was his warmth and cooing before she drifted off. Casper held onto her like she was the most fragile and precious thing in the world and to him she was exactly that. Casper did not want to wake her by moving her off him and he wasn't exactly complaning about finally being able to hold her so he manuevered himself and her on the bed so he laid on his back with her secured in his arms. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but he knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep that night...

TBC…

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The sweat sappy-ness of my fic is making me gag… lol I hope you're enjoying it! Am I making Kat too jumpy? Tell me and I'll tone her or them down :)