guestsurprise requested this one. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy!

Cassie belongs to guestsurprise and Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man Of Action. The Nightmare Before Christmas belongs to Touchstone and Disney. I only own Rachel.

Long-Lasting Friends

Cassie was having a good day up until now when the bullies had cornered her and tied her up, taking her to the graveyard outside of town. Hardly anyone went up to the old graveyard because it was on very rocky ground and the soil was very soft in places. Your foot could go through the dirt and could end up going through the lid of an old coffin. Therefore, the place had been off-limits as no one wanted to get stuck there.

Some felt the old graveyard should be cleaned up a bit and given some new soil that would set better and wouldn't disturb the coffins there and the headstones given a little refurbishing to look better. But others felt it should be removed forever. It was an up-hill battle pretty much.

Anyway, the bullies decided to put Cassie in a sack that had some holes in it, but just enough to breath and decided to place her on the soil over one of the graves as a cruel prank. Cassie was terrified as it was going to be nighttime and no one would know where she was.

"Hope you sleep like the dead, ugly," one of the bullies sneered as they walked off. Cassie immediately began screaming for help and tried to get free, but she couldn't and she was getting very scared as it was now very dark. She began to cry, wanting her friends.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps and perked up. "Help!" she cried out. "Please! Help me!"

"A talking sack?" asked a voice she didn't recognize.

"No! I'm inside the sack and I'm tied up! Please, help me!"

She heard him get closer and untie the sack and she saw two hands reach in and pull her out. He held up a lantern to see her better. "My word, you're just a child," he said. "Who would be so cruel?"

Cassie looked up at him, but when she saw his skull face and saw his mouth move, a scream built up and left her right then, making the person jump and she squirmed to get away.

"Hold on, you'll only make the knots on the ropes tighter," she heard him say as he reached down to untie her. She whimpered as she felt his fingers untangle the ropes from her wrists and ankles and as soon as he finished, Cassie jumped up and bolted, running away and screaming.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GHOST! MONSTER! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Jack followed after the girl, knowing that she was in danger of falling and hurting herself. He had to find her. He then saw her fall down and start sliding down the hill on the slippery dirt. He immediately ran ahead, leaping over rocks and hoping he'd catch the girl in time.

Cassie screamed as she slid down the impromptu dirt slide and screamed when she saw it led to some sharp rocks. She would have curled up, but she was going too fast to do so.

Suddenly, she felt bony hands slide under her arms and tighten their hold, stopping her from hitting the sharp rocks that she had been only a few inches away from hitting. Shaking at her close call, she looked up to see the same skeleton looking worriedly at her and she gasped, shivering. "Please! Don't hurt me! I…I…," she stammered as he picked her up in his arms, carrying her back up the steep hill and out of the graveyard as fear choked her to where she couldn't talk.

"Shh, calm down," he said. "I won't hurt you. Are you injured?"

Cassie looked at herself and saw her arm had been scraped by the rocks in her fall and it now hurt. The skeleton took her arm and was examining the injury when headlights appeared and stopped near them. "Cassie? Jack?" asked a familiar voice.

"Rachel?" asked Cassie and saw the young woman come up to them. The younger girl immediately hugged her, shivering a bit. "How did you find me?"

"When the school called us and told us that your classmates had seen the bullies drag you off to the cemetery, we got worried and decided to come find you. But it looks like Jack found you first," said Rachel, looking at the skeleton. "It's been awhile, Jack."

"Yes," he said, coming near them. "Cassie's right arm is scraped from her fall. Do you have any first aid in your car?"

"I'm afraid not," she said. "But the Mansion's not far. Come on."

Rachel drove to the Mansion with Jack and Cassie in the back seats, the skeleton holding the young girl and rubbing her back to comfort her and take her mind off her injuries. They finally made it and went inside where Rachel took Cassie to Frankenstrike's lab and the scientist alien quickly treated her injuries. Soon, Cassie noticed her arm didn't hurt and it looked like she hadn't scraped it, thanks to the fast-healing medicine. She smiled at Frankenstrike as he then carried her downstairs where everyone was waiting and they swarmed Cassie, asking if she was alright.

"I'm alright, thanks to Jack. He saved me," she said and looked at the skeleton, who gave her a warm smile and she hugged him. "Thank you for saving me," she said to him. "Sorry for thinking you were a monster."

Jack smiled and hugged her back. "Don't worry, little one. I am terrifying, I know. You had every right to react the way you did," he said to her and he noticed she was still a bit down. "But just to convince you…,"

Cassie felt Jack's fingers on her sides and she giggled as Jack tickled her, letting her get away as he then chased her, catching her again and tickling her. She couldn't stop laughing as she felt him tickle her stomach as he smiled.

"Humans are quite ticklish," he mused aloud as he kept tickling Cassie to hear her laugh and she laughed, trying to stop him, but was laughing too hard to do so. Finally, he let her up and she suddenly tickled him, making him shout in surprise.

"Holy cow! I didn't know skeletons were ticklish!" said Cassie as she tickled Jack.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! CASS-HEEHEEHEEHEE-IE! THAT TICKLES!" Jack cried out, suddenly striking with a ticklish counterattack.

Cassie squealed with giggles. "HEEHEEHEEHAHAHAHAHA!" she laughed. "THAT…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!…TICKLES!"

The tickle fight went on for a bit with the others watching and laughing as Cassie's cute, uncontrollable giggles made them all laugh as if they were being tickled.

Finally, Cassie and Jack both gave up and stopped their attacks. Cassie giggled as she got up and helped Jack up, hugging him again. "Thanks, Jack," she said honestly.

"You're welcome, Cassie," he said as he then said goodbye and headed back. Cassie watched him go, happy to have a great new friend.

Here you go, everyone! Happy Thanksgiving!

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GoldGuardian2418