Straight from the Engine

Summary: A GBxTH (Ghost BuggyxTime Hopper) romance, a fanfic of Filmation's Ghost Busters (not the Real or Extreme Ghostbusters). When visiting the Ghost Busters with Futura, Time Hopper comes upon a love poem that Ghost Buggy wrote for her. What will she think of him when she reads it?

GBTH***GBTH***GBTH

After exiting the time portal, Futura and Time Hopper found themselves in New York City of our time to visit the Ghost Busters.

Time Hopper isn't too thrilled to visit their vehicle Ghost Buggy, the one car in their team who would constantly flirt with her, but she doesn't want to be heartless. He got himself hurt badly when the Ghost Busters were fighting Prime Evil, using himself as a shield to block the evil ghost's blast aiming straight for Time Hopper. They got him back to Ghost Command in time, but poor GB was in need of some serious repairing. Therefore, the future Ghost Busters are visiting GB to see how he's doing. After all, he did save Time Hopper.

Soon the two of them have reached Ghost Command, where Jake, Eddie, Tracy, and Jess were waiting for them outside.

"Hey, guys," Futura said, getting off of Time Hopper after she landed. "How's GB doing?"

"He's doing alright," Jess answered, "but Tracy needs to get a few more parts to fix him up more."

"Well, maybe I can go with you, and Time Hopper can stay with him," the lavender-skinned African American replied, much to the hovercraft's dismay.

"Sounds like a great idea," Jake replied before she could speak up. "But she'll have to be quiet. GB is asleep right now." Time Hopper sighed hesitantly.

"Fine," she mumbled before heading into the garage.

"We'll be back in a while," Eddie said as the group left.

Hopefully, they'll be back before the flirt wakes up, the hovercraft thought as she turned her attention to the vehicle she couldn't stand. He's sleeping like Jake said, quite peacefully despite his injuries. Time Hopper couldn't help but wince at the large dent in his right side that lost its paint and came close to a hole. It was the very same spot where Prime Evil shot at him. She couldn't help but feel like crying at the thought of loosing him…

Oh, get that out of your head, Time Hopper, she told herself, shaking her handlebars as any woman would shake her head to clear it. All he is a flirty womanizer and nothing more!

He then turned from him to find a red notebook on the desk with the Ghost Busters logo on it. Curious, she hovered over to it, quiet so as not to wake Ghost Buggy. She then looked at it to read its title: Ghost Buggy's—Private.

This must be his private journal, she thought. I know I shouldn't, but…who knows what he says about me that can make me mad at his flirting even more. She then used her beams to hold up the book and opened it in front of her headlight/face. Only one page was written in it, and it's not a journal entry. It's a poem. Confused, Time Hopper began to read it:

My brave Time Hopper

There are times when I flirt with you

And times when I pick on you

And times when I smile at you

And times when I frown at you

And times when I want you near me

And times when I can't stand you

But when it happened

When HE tried to hurt you

I couldn't stand it

The thought of you getting hurt

The thought of your screams of pain

The thought of loosing you

I had to

I had to save you

You are everything to me

You are what kept me going

Even if I did make it

If I did…lose my life

At least you, my love, are safe

But then I'd regret it

Regret not telling you my feelings

Not saying that I love you

Then again, it would break your heart

Bring you sorrow

And I couldn't stand it

Either way

My feelings for you

My Time Hopper

They will never change

Time Hopper lowered the book, having read the whole thing. She never thought she'd regret what she thought of Ghost Buggy, but now she does. He risked himself to save her, the vehicle he loves. And she came so close as to shun him away. She then recalled their battle with Prime Evil, the battle in which he got hurt.

GBTH***Flashback***GBTH

Time Hopper kept flying, holding Pandora's Box on her platform. She has to get it away from Prime Evil; it holds unspeakable terror that the evil ghost lord wishes to unleash upon the entire world. She then turned to the side to see Prime Evil himself fly after her on his flying organ.

"You wretched hovercraft!" he roared with fury. "I'll teach you to steal my weapon of terror!" He then slammed his hands into the keys of his organs, and a red-and-golden blast shot out of the pipes, heading straight for Time Hopper…

"Time Hopper, LOOK OUT!" The hovercraft cried out in fear and shock as Ghost Buggy flew out in front of her and took the blast in his right side to save her and the Box. She felt petrified as he cried out in pain and crashed onto the ground. As smoke seeped up from his wound, Time Hopper found her voice.

"GHOST BUGGY!" she cried, hovering to his side. Tears streamed from her headlight at his injured state. The dent from the blast was so deep, it was close enough to a hole. The red paint was ripped clean off, leaving behind a black smoky patch underneath. And his eyes were closed, and he looked as though he's in terrible pain.

Time Hopper couldn't understand why she's crying for the one who annoys her with his constant flirting but didn't care. She's not even sure if Ghost Buggy's still alive.

"Ghost…Buggy…" she whimpered, pain ripping her apart from inside. She didn't even sense the others approaching them. Apparently, they dematerialized Prime Evil before he had another chance to attack them.

"Time Hopper, are you alright?" cried the worried Futura as she rushed to her vehicle's side.

"I'm fine," she whimpered, "but…Ghost Buggy…"

"We gotta get him back to Ghost Command!" cried the worried Eddie.

"Time Hopper and I can get you back to your time," Futura replied. "We just need to connect our two vehicles with a rope."

"Okay, Tracy," Jake said to the gorilla. "Tie GB to Time Hopper."

"Okie-dokie," Tracy replied, getting out the rope. He then tied one end around GB's golden laser gun and the other end onto the hook on Time Hopper's back. Then when everyone has loaded in, the hovercraft quickly teleported back to Ghost Command in the Ghost Busters' time.

GBTH***End Flashback***GBTH

"Ghost Buggy…" Time Hopper whimpered, letting go of her hold on the book slowly. It then hit the cement floor with a THUD. It may not be loud to a human standing in the room, but it was loud enough to wake up GB with a start.

"Wh…Wha…?" he gasped, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Finding himself in the garage, he let out a yawn.

"Oh, what a relief…" he said drowsily. "I had a nightmare that—" He stopped when he saw Time Hopper floating beside him and started blushing.

"T-Time Hopper!" he cried. "I-I didn't know you were—" He stopped again when he saw tears in her headlights as she looked at him.

"Are…Are you oka-?"

"OH, GHOST BUGGY!" Time Hopper cried, throwing herself into his front. GB's face became redder as she started crying on him.

"Whoa-Whoa-Hey!" he cried. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Oh, Ghost Buggy," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry! I should have known you were going to pull that stupid stunt! If I did, I would have stopped you!"

Ghost Buggy couldn't believe what he just heard. Time Hopper's blaming herself for his getting hurt back at that Pandora's Box mission. He then stroked her shaking side with his front tire.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," he assured her softly. "You didn't know Prime Bozo was going to hurt you."

"But I should have done something," Time Hopper sniffled.

"You did," Ghost Buggy protested with a soft smile. "You got me here in time so Tracy can fix me up again…and I'm grateful to you for that." She then looked up at him, the tears still in her headlight.

"You…you are?"

"Yeah. I would've been a goner if you hadn't come to my rescue after I came to yours." He then took out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes with his robot arm in his engine.

"Just stop blaming yourself, okay?" he asked. Time Hopper calmed down before snuggling into him, feeling rather tired from all that crying.

"Is it okay if…if you hold me for a while?" she asked. GB just smiled in reply.

"Sure thing." He then held his front tire around her and looked at the floor to find his notebook there. He's certain that Time Hopper has read his love poem for her it but didn't seem to care. If she did read it, he might have a better chance at getting closer to her.

"And that offer to take me to a drive-in?" Time Hopper then said with a yawn. "Is it still open?"

"Yeah," he answered with confusion. "Why?"

"Well," she replied as she drifted off to sleep, "after you're feeling better again…how about we go there together…for a date?" GB felt better already just hearing that idea.

"I look forward to it," he answered softly before drifting off to sleep as well. As the two vehicles drifted off to sleep with GB still holding Time Hopper, their human (and gorilla) friends watched them from outside.

"I think we should leave these two alone for a while," Futura stated quietly. The others agreed with her and left the two lovebirds alone in their first loving embrace.