Hello all... Well I am sorry it as been awhile. I had alittle trouble with this chapter, alot of emotion showed by everyone. And also my dear sweet mother canceled our net with out a warning... so I lost all I had saved ... grrr... no no its fine.. well anyways here is my chapter... Hope you enjoy. Reviews are loved and needed!

Kat and the trio only sat there for a moment with time standing still and their surroundings seeming to spin slowly. Stretch's sarcastic violet eyes now looked wise and pained. His mouth parted slightly as his chilled breath broke the silence of the room.

"Kat, Casper's death... it isn't what you think." Stretch said, very reluctantly went on. His sigh of frustration and malice thickened the air. "It... it wasn't the kid's fault. It was..."

He paused then, looking towards the sun, that had begun to peek over the ocean.

" It's ok. Take your time. " Kat whispered.

" It was our fault. We killed him. " Stretch finished.

Kat leaned forward and barely whispered out a short " What? What did you say? "

" What are ya deaf, I said we kill 'em. We killed the kid. " Stretch bit out.

Fatso floated forward and bellowed softer than usual, "It wasn't our fault...it was and accident."

"Then...then tell me... tell me what happened...?" Kat whispered.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" Lizzie had written us, and told us that Casper was begging for a sled, but his father had said no. Well, his 12th birthday was coming up so we thought what's the harm? So we went and found him the best sled money could buy, and caught the first boat back to Friendship, Maine. " Stretch started.

" When we got there, Casper wasn't home from school yet and J.T was in 'is lab as usual. So Liz told us to bring it in. Right as we got the thing inside, Casper came rushing in the door. " Stinkie said, being interrupted by Fatso.

" Short sheet didn't even notice the sled, just us. He started running around telling us everything that had been happening. And stuff. Just like always. It wasn't until Klutz over here stumbled over the sled, did the kid notice it! " Fatso exclaimed, his voice rising with excitement.

" Hey, I wasn't a klutz! " Stinkie shrieked. " I was... lankey "

" Shut up, this ain't no time to joke. " Stretch said shoot his brothers a menacing glare, " Anyways, Casper ran around trying to get out the door to take it for a test drive, but he didn't make it. "

" J.T heard all the noise upstairs and finally emerged from that lab. Well, when he saw what we got Casper, he got all pissy. To this day I don't know why he got all weird on us the last couple of years of 'is life, but he did. And that day, he just blew up. Telling us it wasn't our right or responsibility to try to raise his son. "

" So of course, Stretch blows up and lashes right back at him. Telling 'im that if he would come outta his damn lab once in awhile that we wouldn't have to raise his son. J.T didn't take that too well. He got all silent and then told us to get the 'ell outta his house. " Stinkie said, flinching at the horrible memory.

" So we did. We didn't even say good-bye... to any of them. Not to Lizzie who had tears streaming down her face and not even the kid who looked about as confused as any kid could get. " Fatso added.

" We went to the bar and drank til we threw up and passed out. When we closed our eyes, we didn't know that we was about to get a life shattering awaking. " Stretch said.

" Casper.. he died that day didn't he? He died and you three couldn't even say good-bye. " Kat fumbled around for words. Any words that could make the trio go back to the happy go lucky life style that they normally lived. But she knew that that was impossible until this story was over. "Go on.Please. "

Stinkie sucked in a long breath, " A few hours after we passed out, two cops came and woke us up. We didn't know what was going on. They just said we was needed back at the mansion. When we got there, there were flashing lights, cops and people everywhere. Lizzie came to us first, she was crying and screaming. Wailing something about the kid. She said he was dead, but that was impossible, we had just seen him. "

Stretch looked away then, and floated over to the railing to regain his composer. He knew only he could explain the next part of the tragedy to Kat. His brothers were just too tender hearted.

" When we finally calmed Lizzie down, or so that she wasn't wailing, she told us what happened. She had went out to find us, leaving Casper alone, his dad went into town for supplies. Well, while she was out looking, Casper got out that damn sled and decided to take it for a test run. From the information Liz gathered, the kid must have hit something wrong, and was flung off the sled. When he hit... he broke a rib... punctured his lung and... and drown...in his own blood. " Strecth choked out, saying the last part as though he still couldn't believe it himself. " Its all our fault. If we, no if I would have kept my damn mouth shut, we would have been there. Watching him. But no I let my temper get the best of me again and then got drunk off my ass, just like I do now, and the kid died. He died. Can you imagine? Huh? "

Stretch turned to look at Kat, who by this time was curled up in Stinkie's arms crying right along with the trio.

" The kid could have sat there, for hours, alone, scared and cold. Crying out without any luck. Can you imagine that? " Stretch pounded his fist on the iron bars.

" Stretch.. boys... " Kat voice was so low that if you were listening you would have to get very close and still ask her to repeat herself. " It's not your fault.You didn't know. "

She got up, her knees shaking, and went to stand with Stretch.

" It's not your fault. I know it. I see how Casper looks at you three. He loves you and there is nothing BUT love there. He isn't bitter and he doesn't balme you."

Stretch looked down at Kat. She was trying to be so strong for them, he thought, yet he knew this was hitting her harder than she let it show.

" Can you imagine dying like that though? " he said.

" No, no I can't. But I can image him thinking the same thing you three do. That it was his fault. " Kat said calmly.

" What! How? " Stinkie said, finally coming out of his silence.

" From what Casper has told me, all of you were very close, and then all of sudden because of something that was for him, all of you started fighting. He doesn't blame you, he blames himself.. th-thats why he does so much for you now. " Kat explained.

" Yea maybe" Stretch mumbled.

" No! Thats what it is. Have you three ever just talked to him? Sat down and asked him what happened? Maybe thats what he needs. " Kat said.

" But do you really think he blames himself?" Stinkie piped up.

" I know that's what it is." She said, "And the only way that anyone is going to realize it was no one's fault is by talking about it. Have you ever tried to talk to him about it?"

Fatso looked up and spoke, "Talk to him? How are we supposed to talk to him?"

"TELL HIM HOW YOU FEEL!" Kat unintentionally yelled through frustration.

"You've got to let him know how troubling this is to you and then maybe he'll open up and tell you something that will make things a little better between all four of you. "

"It ain't our job to 'splain our feelings on this issue to the runt… he's better off not knowing." Stretch said.

Kat's passion and anger grew.

"None of you are better of not knowing. If he knew what you know and you knew what he knows, maybe you could move on…" Kat caught herself.

Stretch looked up at Kat, his steely eyes studying her. " Is that what you want? For us to move on? Hm.. Kitty Kat "

Stretch's voice had always held a sarcastic flare. Always letting who ever he was talking to know that he didn't care what they thought, nor worried about it when they walked away. His voice had always been filled with manic laughter, but now it was filled with venom and stony seriousness. " Do you want us to leave, just like J.T did. Do you want us to get out of the way so that you can have the kid all to your self. Well, this time it ain't gonna happen. I ain't going no wheres, maybe its you who needs to leave. "

Stretch's eyes got brighter with every anger filled word.

" What? No that's not it at all. This whole thing has hurt me as much as it has hurt you, I love Casper and I just want you guys to be with him, so that we can get on with our lives and live normally. " Kat sobbed.

Her hand doubled up in fist, and red hot tears ran down her face. Why was he acting like this, she thought, sure Stretch had never been the most understanding person in the world, but now he was just assuming the worst.

" Oh I get it, you want us all to leave so that you can go on with your "normal " fleshie life. Like they say, if you love someone you always let them go " Stretch shouted.

" That's not even the real saying. Stop being such a paranoid asshole. It isn't even about you. Its about Casper. Don't you see that? " Kat screamed back. Her eyes turning a pleading look at the other two brother who watched in amazement as two leaders of the household battled on.

" NO! IT IS ABOUT US! ITS ABOUT US FOUR TRYING TO MAKE IT IN THIS DAMNED WORLD. YOU WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW. YOU AND YOUR FATHER COME PRANCIN' IN HERE LIKE YOU ARE HOLIER THAN THOU, AND KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR US. TRYING TO TELL US WHAT TO DO AND WHEN TO DO IT. I RAISED THAT KID, AND I KNOW HOW TO HANDLE HIM. " Stretch held up a hand to stop the protest that was about to leave Kat's lips. " YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM. DO YOU KNOW WHAT HIS FAVORITE COLOR IS. DO YOU KNOW THAT HE SLEPT WITH A OLD TEDDY BEAR NAMED FRANKLIN UNTIL HE WAS 8. DID YOU KNOW THAT HE ALWAYS WORE BLUE MITTENS WHEN IT WAS COLD? DID YOU KNOW HE HATES THE SNOW. NO YOU DON'T. YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING. SO DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO TELL ME HOW TO HELP MY KID.

Stretch flinched at his last words, knowing he had opened up a weakness. And that was something he never did. He was not weak.

" He isn't even your kid! Maybe you should open those bright eyes of yours and see that... he wasn't yours back then. And he isn't yours now! " As soon as the words left her mouth, her hand went up to meet them. " Stretch...I-I didn't m-mean it... I am s-sorry. "

The wind began to blow and the clouds began to gather and all fell silent. Stinkie and Fatso sat unmoving.

Stretch dug deep into Kat's soul with his eyes and bit out a silent and almost dangerous sounding " Get out... now. "

" Stretch... please...I am sorry... I - I didn't mean it! " Kat exclaimed.

" NOW! " he hissed.

Stretch's chest was rising and falling rapidly. The low raw tone of his voice reduced Kat to a sobbing, trembling nothing. As she turned to flee she could hear his raged breath and feel the stony hardness of his violet eyes watching her.

Very raw I know. I don't know if I displayed too much emotion but I do believe that this type of sitution needed it. Also I think Stretch would be a bi-polar kinda person naturally anyways so yea... I know therehasn't been alot of Stinkie, Fatso or Casper in awhile. But there will be in the next chapterI promise. Funny thing is when I was reading this chapter to my boyfriend he fell asleep. Was it that bad... ( sorry if so. Well there will be more soon.