Ok once again I own nothing... steals Stretch Oo here's chapter 3 of Distant and Drowning... please review...

Kat sat clearly effected by the numb expression that flashed across Stretch's face. She had never seen him, or any of the trio, so serious. They were usually being loud, making cracks at her father or just being plain nasty, but now each one seemed lost in their own anguished memory. None of them spoke or moved.

" The story?" Kat whispered, shaking with fear, not really wanting to know what Stretch had to say, but she felt as though she had to do something to get the trio out of their frozen state.

"Oh yea... I forgot." Stretch said as he blinked, clearing his now glazed over eyes. "Um... I have never told this story to a fleshie before... I don't know where to start."

" The beginning always works best for me," Kat said helpfully.

Silence took over again, as Stretch tried to figure out where the beginning actually exsisted. Kat sat and watch the violet eyed ghost, and she could not help but notice he seemed like a lost child. Not really knowing what to do. And that was something Stretch never did. He always knew what to do.

"Before there was Casper, or his mother... or anyone for that matter, we McFadden brothers traveled the world, making a notorious name for ourselves. Everyone knew us, and everyone knew what we were all about." Stretch began, puffing out his chest as he spoke. " When we came home, sure people would talk but it didn't matter, we was havin' fun. Our parents had died a long time ago, when Fatso here, was about 8, so that left me to take care of my brothers. Our father had always been a noble man but he had not lived life to the fullest. I wasn't about to let my brothers, or myself for that matter, live that way.

" After about 15 years of travling, seeing everthing there was to see at the time, we came home to Friendship, Maine. Just to relax. Not knowing that our last adventure was truly that, our last." Stretch cleared his throat. His expression had grown serious, and now he seemed older, playing the part of eldest with pefection.

Stinkie, sensing that his brother needed some time to get the courage up to keep going, took over. " People began to talk, saying stuff like we was outta control, that we needed to settle down and get married, uphold the McFadden name, yadda yadda yadda. Usually we didn't mind but one day something just snapped inside of J.t. He began to stay at Whipstaff alot more and finally after a while he even a... job...brrrr... "

" I wanna tell the next part! " Fatso pushed Stinkie out of Kat's veiw and began again. " So yea... We kept going on about travling and having fun, but one day we came back home, only to find that our bro had fallen in love with his boss's daughter, Elizabeth, and they were to be married in the spring. "

" Well that was one 'ell of a shocker! We knew he was changing but we never imagined that he was gonna go off and marry some rich dame! " Stretch said as he shook his head, as though he still couldn't believe it. " He had done what we vowed never to do... make roots! "

" He had completely changed. He had branched off from the company that he orginally worked at and made a place for himself at Whipstaff... he started inventing odds and ends for the military. And after awhile, right before the wedding, he got totally engrossed into it. He hardly ever came up from that damn lab, and when we wanted to do something fun he would shoot us down, telling us how dangerous it was, even if it was something as simple as swimming in the ocean! " Stinkie said, his expression mirroring that of his older brother's.

" Well, J.T and Elizabeth got married and I think I have never seen him happier. I guess that is why the little squirt came almost immediately. Thing is, J.T was too interested in his inventing to even hardly notice the kid. I ain't saying he was a bad father, cuz he wasn't, he loved Casper more than anything, but he was just too scatter brained to really even realize the bugger was there." Fatso said.

" Well, me and the boys realized that Lizzie needed help. Casper was just like J.T was when he was little, always into something! So we took time off ever once in a while to come and take care of the little tike. " Stretch said, a small smile hinting at his lips.

" We practically raised the kid, we taught him to swim, read, write, ride a bike and even spit! That was the happiest day of my life! " Stinkie exclaimed.

" Years passed and the kid grew up, and began to look for adventure just like his father. So on his 12th birthday me and the boys decided to pay a little visit and bring him a surprise. "

" You three brought him the sled! " Kat said, taking in eveything that the trio had been saying. Finally realizing that there was more to the three crazy ghost than what met the eye.

" Yea. We brought him that damn thing and I regret it everyday. If it wasn't for his mother, I would have burned it!" Stretch said, the look of undying pain reaching the corners of his, now almost black, eyes.

" Why, it was just a sled. When he told me his part of the story, he seemed to love it." Kat said, the confusion reaching her voice.

" Well, see that's the thing. He did love it. The kid went crazy. It was J.T that didn't apporve, he said he could get hurt. And was he right. " Stinkie said.

" Oh hell, I can't do this! I just can't. I know, you twos know, heaven knows, we practically killed the kid, why relive it! " Stretch slammed down the cup he had been holding.

All three of the ghost were now misty eyed and silent. Their own personal demons banging loudly at the door.

" Guys, its ok. You three could not have killed Casper. I mean sure you guys are pretty crazy but you would never do bodily harm to anyone! " Kat exclaimed, runshing around the table to stand in front of the trio, who had slid into three of the wooden chairs.

All three raised their eyebrows, " Ok, my dad doesn't count! " Kat exclaimed.

" Pff..." was the only reply she got.

" Ok guys, I am sorry, but I have to know. We can take the rest of the story slow, but I have to know. Please... for me. " Kat took Stretch's cold hand in her own, and with a pleding look, she stared into the ghost's eyes, her heartbreak clearly showing.

" I am sorry, Kat, I just... I just can't. " And with that the three ghost vanished into thin air.

As Kat stared at the spot where the ghosts had been, a single tear ran down her cheek. She closed her eyes and softly said, " But I love him, I deserve to know. "