Hello Hello. Long time no update I know. I am terribly sorry! I had school and then spring break. I love that people have not lost hope in my story and thank all of you for the comments. Please keep them coming. That is what keeps me writing. Now here is the long awaited chapter 11.

Chapter 11

Back in New York, Kat put down the phone, laughing a little at the thought of the almighty Stretch being beat down by her best friend.

"I would love to see that." She said to herself, bursting into a fit o' giggles.

"What's so funny?" a blonde haired man said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, um…Vic, honey…I didn't hear you come in…" Kat said a little startled by her husband's sudden appearance in their kitchen.

"Its my house, why do I have to make myself known everytime I come in? " her Husband brushed past Kat, ignoring his wife's puckered lips and sad eyes.

"Oh," Kat said as she watched her husband put on his coat.

"I will be late so don't wait up," he murmured to his wife.

"Wait, Vic. Where are you going? It's just barely lunch, and it's your vacation week." Kat looked at her husband's back.

Vic froze. As he turned around, he saw the troubled look in his wife's eyes.

"um... welll...I have to finish up some things, and then tomorrow it will be just you and me, Pussy Kat." Vic leaned down and kissed his wife on the cheek, never looking her in the eye.

"Okay, sweetie," Kat murmured into his shoulder, trying not to show her husband she was hurting.

"Tell you what: How 'bout I leave my car here and you can take it and wash it and then you and I will take a little road trip. Just you and me." Vic smiled down at his wife.

"Okay," Kat cheerfully said.

"You okay now?" Vic asked.

"Yes. Now you go finish up whatever it is you have to do. Sorry I got worked up," Kat said sheepishly.

"It's okay. Bye baby." And with that, Vic walked out the door leaving his wife alone in the kitchen.

"Okay Kat, straighten up. He wouldn't do it again. Becky was in the past. And he promised me," Kat thought. She slumped down in the wooden kitchen chair. "He wouldn't, would he?"

Kat's thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ringing of the telephone.

"Oh my God. She already made him cross over." Kat jumped up, laughing to herself at the thought of Stretch crumbling in fear, because of her tiny best friend.

But when she picked up the phone, her laughter stopped and was replaced with a groan.

"Hello Katherine, dear," came the voice of Claudia McSwann.

"Hello, Claudia. How are you?" Kat asked politely, making stabbing motions toward her heart.

"Well, just awful, dear," Claudia moaned, holding out "awful" for her usual dramatic effect.

Uh-oh, Kat thought.

"Um . . . why awful?" she asked, playing dumb.

"Oh Katherine, I am worried about my Stella! She has been missing for a week now and I haven't heard from her!" Claudia wailed into the phone.

Sure, yeah right, you old calorie-counting drama queen, Kat thought to herself. You aren't worried about Stella. You're worried about not having her fiance's money!

"Katherine, did you hear me?" came Claudia's voice breaking Kat from her silent ranting.

"Yes, I heard you. And I am just as worried as you are. But I am sure she is fine."

"Oh. So you don't know where she is?" Claudia asked.

"Nope. Not a clue," Kat answered with much delight in her lie.

"Because her reputation at the club is in ruins. Everyone is talking. And I hate how they are talking about my baby girl," Claudia finished.

Please, you are really worried about your rep, not Stella's, you gold-digging old hag, Kat thought silently.

"Claudia, Stella is fine. She is not going to care about her reputation', and FYI, she is not going back to Michael. Sorry." Kat laid on the truth, a little annoyed at Claudia.

"What? No, no Katherine, dear," Claudia said, her patience wearing out and her dislike for Kat showing through. "It was wedding-day jitters. She is coming back, you will see."

"No…Claudia, she may come back but not to Michael. I think she has already found another…soul." Kat held the phone away from her mouth and tried not to laugh at her unintended irony.

"WHAT!" Claudia's usually calm voice rose to a high pitched and annoying squeak, "What do you MEAN another soul? What kind of animal is Stella seeing?"

"No one, Claudia." Kat said, patronizing as she could. "May I speak to Harold, dear?"

"No, now where is my daughter and who is she…" Claudia was cut off by the gruff, but kind voice of her husband.

"Kat! How's your father?" Harold said, obviously very happy to hear Kat's voice.

"Oh, he is fine Mr. M. How are you?" Kat asked.

"Good, good. Just worried about Stella, but other than that, life is going very well." Harold said, with a bit of pain in his voice when he said Stella's name.

Kat could tell that Harold was very worried about his daughter. "Don't you worry Mr. M. As I told your…lovely wife, Stella is doing perfectly fine."

"Oh, well, good gooood!" Harold's voice boomed, regaining his usual cheery Irish charm. "But, she isn't coming back to Michael…is she?"

"Nope!" Kat said.

"Good…I didn't want to walk me Stella down the aisle to that slime anyway." Harold spit.

"I know. But please don't worry! Stella is safe and very happy." Kat laughed again.

"Well, good. Tell her I miss her and to come back home when she is ready." Harold said.

Kat had to stop and realize, as she had so many times, how lucky Stella was to have a father that held so much love for her. But also, how cursed she was to have a sickly vain woman to call Mother.

Kat's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a shrill screech across the line. "NO! Tell her to come home NOW! We miss her and she still has to get married!"

Kat groaned. "Does that woman ever give up?" she thought.

Kat and Stella had met in college and Kat knew right away that they were going to be friends. But she always remembered wondering how Stella could stand her mother. Claudia must have some love deep down in her heart…because every mother does. But it was very…very deep down and shrouded in vanity.

"Kat, deary, you still there?" Harold said, shaking Kat from her thoughts.

"Yes sir. Sorry, just thinking. But, now I must go. Vic and I are going on a trip!" Kat said.

"Oh okay. Well Kat, you be careful now. I still don't trust him, despite all his talk of them just talking. A man and a woman do not spend 5 hours in a hotel room just talkin'. Just, please be careful Katherine." Harold said.

"Okay, I will" Kat said, lost for words.

"Bye girlie."

"Bye Mr. M."

" Damn it! " Kat said outloud.

She loved Stella's father like her own but sometimes his Irish way of being nosy got a little irritating! Kat knew he only cared for her but what was going on in her life was her business and her business alone. Then why did she feel like she needed someone to talk to, to gush to, to cry with? She needed Stella. But no... her friend was at Whipstaff with the Ghostly Trio and...Casper... at remembering her old friend Kat began to cry. She missed Casper so much.

Kat slumped down onto her hard wooden kitchen chair again exhausted by the morning's stress. How had her life gone so wrong? She remember back to when her life had been simple and fun. Easy and happy. That was such along time ago. That when she was back at Whipstaff.

As Kat wiped the tears from her glossy eyes she remembered her 10th grade year. She had thrown that Halloween party and that simple thing had changed her teenage life. She instantly became popular, went out with Vic and became head cheerleader. And from that everything fell into place. Her 11th grade and Senior year flew by, full of party's and fun. She became valedictorian and engaged to Vic all in one night. And then when she married him, she left Whipstaff and was whisked away to the her new home, New York. Only good thing coming out of that was her business and Stella.

As she poured herself some whiskey from a tall bottle under the built in bar, hearing a certain boston accent from long ago whisper in her ear "Remember Kat a glass of Jack Daneils a day keeps you mentaly sane. But drink to much and you throw up.", she remembered the one thing that mattered most, all that time she wasn't really happy.

She had to pretend to be someone she was not. But then at the end of the day she would go home, fight with Stretch, try to grab something to eat before Fatso ate it all, keep what little she got down when Stinkie said hi, kiss her dad hello and wished him luck with the next session and then climb up the creeky stairs to the small room and talk with Casper for hours. About anything and everything. He listened and was there when she needed him. And, Kat thought while downing the last of her whiskey, Casper was probally the only person, besides her dad that had truely ever really loved her.

The shrill cry of the telephone snapped Kat out of her thoughts once again. Making it one too many times that day.

Kat turned to glare at the phone. She hated it, she hated her life and she hated the fact that she was miserable. She didn't deserve it. She deserved to be somewhere with people and ghosts who love her. She deserved to be away from her fake friends, her fake husband and her fake life. Once and for all. And with that last thought Kat riped the phone off the hooked and ran up her stairs to find her suitcase. She was going home. To find the love she deserved.

But first she was going to clean her husband's car. She might has well show up in style and with no dirt in her BMW would do the trick.

Back at Whipstaff, Stella inched closer to the heavy kitchen door, trying to hear the ghost.

" Ooooo Stretch and Stella sitting in a tree... K-i-s-s-i-n-g... HAHAHA " Fatso's strong bartone voice rang out.

" First comes love, second comes marriage, then comes Stretchy with the baby carriage " Stinkie finished his younge brother taunt.

" SHUT THE HELL UP YOU TWO! " Stretch boomed.

" Oh come on, we are just having fun. Lightin' up " Stinkie whined.

" Yea bro, I mean if ya like her, you like her. She is a peach. And she sure can cook. " Fatso said between crumbs of that morning's breakfest

" I don't like her, and even if I did and I don't, " He said quickly, because his brothers had already raised an eyebrow. " She is leaving. Going back to her snotty lifestyle in where ever the hell she came from. "

" Actually, I am staying. You boys need a woman's... touch. " Stella said her eyes never leaving Stretch's.

When Stretch tore his gaze from Stella's lips he bellowed " Wait, we don't need anyting from you! "

" Oh but Stretch, I think you do. You need a alot from me. A whole lot! " She said with a wink.

" Ok guys, I think this house needs a little brighting up. So lets get to it. Stretch, baby, that means you to. So move your cute little bum " She walked pat the tall dumfounded ghost and gave him a light pinch on his " butt " .

And with that Fatso, Stinkie and Casper followed the swing of their new house guest's hips out the door. All the while the three ghost humming the k-i-s-s-i-n-g song.

Stretch just floated there. As the heavy door creeked shut he shook his head. This woman was going to kill him... again.