Chapter Summary: Clementine is displeased with the uninvited guest, but allows Casper to stay the weekend much to the children's joy.

"And that was it... when I woke the castle was empty, a few things were on fire but other than the dead bodies one would think nothing had happened... Only a few things survived that night... Mom, me and the few servants alive tried our best to clean the place up. We fixed the bridge, replaced the lost doors and just... tried to keep on living. That's where we are now. The village never bothered us again..." Thatch sighed heavily, not lifting his gaze from the pond.

"Thatch I..." Casper could barely speak. He never imagined something like this. Thatch saw such horrors Casper could barely imagine. This could only explain so much; no wonder Thatch hated fleshies so much. They took so much from him. "I'm sorr-"

"If you say sorry I swear I'll bite you." He hissed. Thatch annoyedly kicked the water, causing it to splash and ripple which startled the once peaceful fish- who swam right to the other side of the pond to avoid the danger. "It's not your fault, stupid ghost. It's those damn fleshies... Awful things they are." He sighed, leaning more against the ghost as he calmed himself after a few tense moments. None of this was Casper's fault so he shouldn't be bad to the poor ghost. "Thanks for listening, Casper... it was nice talking about it." He carefully admitted.

"I... a-anytime. I'm good at listening." Casper smiled. The ghost contently rested beside Thatch, gazing into the pond. It was nice to bring comfort to someone, and he felt a bit of pride knowing that Thatch trusted him enough to confide in him. "I think fleshies might have gotten more understanding..."

"You found one good fleshie, fine cool whatever. When you get a group of them they're mindless murderers. Never trust them, Casper." He warned, but Casper just couldn't believe him. No way all fleshies were bad. Surely they could all be friends. He had once been human after all, but that was so long ago now. Thatch had never been human, he was born a vampire. Casper knew he couldn't explain it to Thatch, he simply wouldn't get it. Thatch just had to trust Casper and listen.

They didn't get to talk much more, for they heard a window snap open behind them. Casper could just see Thatch tense, his eyes wide as he froze like a deer in headlights. Caught.

"Thatch! Thatch Vincent Manora!" His dear mother screamed angrily out the window. And now terror struck the vampire. The middle name only meant one thing: He was in so much fucking trouble. He was a dead man walking now. No child could survive being called by their full name. He was going to see hell soon surely.

Yet the vampire tried his best to be brave. He turned around to face the house, pulling his feet out of the pond as he put on the most innocent smile he could. He didn't dare move any closer, just sitting by the calming pond and trying to look as innocent as he could as he sat beside Casper.

"Y-yes, mom!" He called back. Casper could see the vampire was utterly terrified.

"Who is with you, who got within the gates!? Thatch come inside this instant!" She yelled shrilly. Her black painted nails were digging into the wooden window frame, looking more like claws. She was gritting her teeth and Casper could see her two sharp fangs. It was hard to tell if her expression was one of anger or fear. Something told Casper she was more scared than anything.

"N-no mom, it's ok! He's a friend from school." He tried to reason. The vampire child stood up, grabbing his socks and shoes before he dragged himself over to the window- leaving his cloak by the waterside. "His name is Casper mom, he's from Scare School."

"Scare School?" She turned up her nose, a frown pressed to her lips. "That awful place that stole you?" She hissed coldly. "So you did actually make a friend there- I'm..." It was hard to read her emotions, but for a moment Casper thought he saw relief, maybe joy even. She was happy that Thatch made a friend, but that look was gone so quickly Casper thought maybe he just imagined it in the first place. "... Wait, no you didn't." Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she watched the guilty vampire child before her. "In all the letters I received it tells me you and Casper are always fighting, he's the one that causes all the trouble for you!"

"We're... we just became friends...?" He smiled sheepishly at his mother. He seemed so small before her- as if he just wanted to curl in on himself and hide from her sight. Thatch almost hated himself for upsetting his mother, after all, he was just one big mama's boy. Before they knew Casper was here everything was fine- she had been so loving and Thatch accepted her love full-heartedly. But now, Thatch seemed scared, tentative of what he had to say. His mother was a bomb waiting to blow. "I... Casper's here because..."

"Because of what? You know I hate visitors, they're all-"

"M-mom!" Thatch interrupted quickly. "Please, he really is my friend. He's kind, trust me. He was forced into Scare School too." Thatch whined weakly. His dear mother frowned down at him, her piercing gaze studying Thatch before it moved to the ghost.

Casper now felt like the deer in headlights, unable to move. Not out of fear- simply because he couldn't move, he was frozen there. Clemintine was studying him carefully as if he was some crazy ax murderer here to kill them- but something seemed to change her mind. turned back to Thatch, whispering something to him before she shut the window and pulled the curtains closed. Seems she had nothing more to say to the young vampire. But, the ghost happened to notice her expression had changed ever so slightly when she learned Casper was forced into the school as well. "We.. we should go inside Casper," Thatch muttered, turning back to the ghost boy.

"I'm sorry Thatch, I know I shouldn't have followed you." Casper sighed. He picked up Thatch's cloak and carried it over to the vampire, who quickly took it and held it to his chest- like a child clinging to their favorite blankie. "She seemed so... different than before." Casper mumbled softly. The change in his mother was a bit nerve-racking. At least Casper always knew what mood his uncles would be in.

"She really, really hates guests. Let alone surprise guests. No one is allowed inside the castle walls- she has been isolated ever since our last maid died of old age... Then Kibosh took me to Scare School... She has a right to hate strangers- but I wish she could be more understanding." Thatch openly said. Casper has earned enough trust for the closed-off vampire to reveal his thoughts, worries, and past. So much had changed in the last few days- and Casper wouldn't change a thing.

The ghost boy weakly smiled, following Thatch back around to the front of the house. Casper went ahead and fazed through the doors while Thatch pulled the heavy oak doors open. Once inside Casper helped close them. His mother was there waiting in the shadow, her faded violet eyes shining in the dark. Casper was feeling nervous, so he kept by Thatch, partly hiding behind him in fear. His mother was nothing like before- he felt like something bad might happen at any moment.

Thatch looked up at his mother, weakly smiling. "Mom, meet Casper-I brought him." Thatch lied without hesitating. "I wanted you to meet my new friend."

"Why didn't you mention him before?" She sighed heavily, not moving from her favored spot.

"I wanted to ease the meeting because you're always so untrusting of strangers. I was going to have you meet him as soon as possible, but the chance never came up. I'm sorry." He moved away from Casper and entered the shadows with Clementine, wrapping his arms around his mother in a tight hug. "Trust me, you'll like him. Just try to understand, please?" He softly begged. Was Thatch begging to protect Casper? What a strange sight...

Casper smiled shyly and waved to the vampire mother, hoping to ease the situation and help out Thatch. It didn't seem to be working, but it also didn't seem to go badly... Thatch's mother leaned down, whispering something to her son before she ruffled his hair and walked away, fading into the shadows and out of sight. Thatch softly sighed, carefully returning back to Casper by the door.

"You can stay for the rest of the weekend." He smiled gently. "Don't expect to have meals with her, she's too shy..." He tried to cover up for her. "Come on, let's go to my room." He offered. Casper nodded and took Thatch's hand, allowing the vampire to guide him down the dark hallways. None of the torches were lit, leaving the castle in an eerie dark shadow. It felt like something was always around the corner, watching and waiting. Thatch never seemed to notice or made any signs that he thought this. Even if their steps echoed in the empty halls, even if the shadows seemed to flicker Thatch paid no mind. Casper started to wonder if this castle was haunted- wait was he scared of other ghosts? Did ghosts live in this castle? Thatch made no mention of anything so maybe it was all in his head. He just took Casper back to his bedroom.

"You need some new clothes, huh? What a mess." The vampire sighed with a smile. He released the ghost's hand and went over to his closet, on his way picking up a candle from his desk so he can peer into the dark space. He walked in, searching in his walk-in closet, and from what Casper could see there were more than just white shirts and black pants. There were a lot of clothes, ranging from when Thatch was a baby all the way up to now. All the baby clothes seemed to be in the far back, forgotten and covered in dust. Casper hovered a bit closer, peering in and watched as the vampire was ever so carefully choosing items and matching them up.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you some damn clothes, you're walking around naked again!" Thatch rolled his eyes. "Most of these won't even fit you, I should just take you into town and get you some proper clothes... Ugh" He mumbled softly. "Maybe tomorrow... I'm awfully tired. At least tomorrow is Sunday, we can sleep in I suppose." He softly hummed in thought, walking out of his closet with an armful of clothes. "I know this one shop, run by this old lady. She's pretty much blind and won't be able to tell a thing if we just walked in. She has some nice stuff too, bet we can make you actually look proper for once." He sassed effortlessly.

Casper had no clue what he was getting himself into.

Casper and Thatch stayed up for at least the next hour, dressing the ghost up in Thatch's old clothes. Everything was to Thatch's opinion. If Thatch didn't like a look he would take it off and make Casper try something else. Casper was starting to feel like a dress-up doll, but it was fine. He and Thatch were laughing and having fun the whole time so it was all ok. Thatch seemed to be enjoying himself as he tried to find the perfect look for the ghost.

They went through so many styles. From tailored suits that were just too big for the ghost to more modern-looking clothes like jeans and a graphic T-Shirt, nothing seemed to work. By the time they finished, they had gone through most of Thatch's closet and not just the clothes the vampire had pulled out.

Casper was wearing a comfy oversized white shirt- deciding that would do for some PJ's for the night while Thatch was actually wearing some proper bedclothes. Casper didn't exactly know where to sleep, and it only occurred to him he was going to be sleeping in the vampire's bed when Thatch climbed into bed and scooched over to assure there was enough room for him.

"Come on, in bed." He spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. With a wave of his hand, the candles in the room all went out, earning a frightened gasp from Casper.

"How'd you do that?" He nervously asked as he hurriedly climbed into the bed, having trouble seeing in the darkened room. He swiftly got under the fluffy covers, pulling them up to cover his mouth and nose as he peered around the darkroom like a frightened fleshie.

"Mom taught it to me about a year ago. It's one of the few things I can do... Mom says I won't be able to do all the cool vampire stuff until I'm a teen." Thatch grumbled and laid back on the bed, seeming pretty content and unaware of Casper's discomfort. "Lay down already. We need to sleep." He yawned and stretched. The blue-eyed monster was a bit nervous to follow orders, but he soon laid down on his half of the bed.

Casper was feeling panic. He was in bed with Thatch, sharing the same blanket and everything! The ghost shifted, turning to face Thatch in the darkroom. The vampire had nuzzled into his pillow, sighing as he closed his eyes. "I'll make up some excuse to the headmasters when we head back. I'll make sure you don't get in trouble." Thatch softly mumbled. "Is everything comfortable?" He asked after a few moments.

Casper glanced off, shifting a bit on the large bed. The mattress was soft, along with the fluffed up feather pillows. The comforter also had a nice weight to it, reminding him of his own home. "Yeah... Yeah, it's great." He shyly smiled and laughed. In the dark Casper carefully reached out, his hand finding its way to Thatch's chest, gently gripping onto his nightshirt. "Thatch?"

"Want another hug?" He smiled, chuckling softly. "I know it's you that likes them, Casper."

"You do like them, right?"

"...Yeah." Thatch mumbled softly. "Come here," he ordered softly. He lifted the covers more, motioning for the ghost to move closer. Casper obeyed and moved closer as ordered, resting his head on Thatch's chest as he nuzzled close, sighing softly as he shut his eyes. The ghost could feel the vampire wrap his arms around his smaller body.

They laid like that for a while, both at peace with the other. Casper felt protected in Thatch's arms- the vampire could protect him from all the bad things. But, it wasn't long before he could hear the moans and sobs echoing in the castle walls. Casper tensed and grasped onto the vampire as he lifted his head, looking towards the bedroom door. Thatch's grip only became tighter, keeping the ghost boy close.

"Thatch?"

"It's ok... It's just mom." Thatch softly whispered. The vampire started to let go so Casper quickly clung to Thatch, shaking his head.

"Please don't go."

"She's my mom." Thatch tried to reason, but the ghost only clung tighter. Thatch seemed conflicted. He wished to go to his mother, to comfort her as he so often did, but Casper couldn't be left alone if he was scared. "You're such a scaredy-cat..." He grumbled, but stayed put, hugging Casper as they laid on his large bed together. "Nothing can hurt you here, you're safe." He whispered soothingly, trying to bring some sort of comfort. "I'll keep you safe." As the vampire spoke, the world around them was growing darker. Casper's eyes started to droop, and before the ghost child knew it he was fast asleep in Thatch's arms. Thatch could only smile, glad he could bring comfort to the ghost... But once Casper was peacefully asleep, Thatch slowly released his grip and replaced himself with one of his pillows, hoping Casper could just stay asleep as he went to his mom.

He just couldn't stay with the ghost while he heard his mother's sobs. So with a heavy heart, he left the room, careful to be as silent as he could lest he disturbed Casper. He knew he would be back- well maybe... He just hoped Casper would sleep until then.