"This is the last, I repeat, LAST time I'm going to the drug store!" Janine was at her wits end. Yes the guys were sick. No they weren't faking it. But WHY were they such BABIES? She was tired too! Sure she wasn't sick but taking care of three grown men could take it out of anyone.

She huffed down the stairs to grab her purse and some petty cash from her desk. Thankfully the phones were silent. A flu epidemic was rampant in NYC. It was so bad schools were closing their doors to prevent it from spreading. Chicken soup was going for top dollar and NyQuil was practically a black market item. As she was putting on her jacket to fight what was left of the late spring chill, Peter popped his head through the fire pole hole in the ceiling.

"I'm so sorry to ask…"

"No you aren't."

"You're right. Can you get me some more OJ? Ray drank the last of it."

She heard a muffled protest, probably from Ray.

"Last. Time." She headed for the door at a brisk pace before another guy played the sick card with her.

Egon heard the front door slam, noting the time. This was the third, no fourth, time she had to go out to get supplies that day alone. He felt bad for her, but his current experiment needed his full attention. He had locked himself in his workshop several days ago, which is probably why he wasn't sick like the rest of the city. He wasn't sure how Janine had been able to stay healthy. Winston theorized that germs were too scared of her, which of course was scientifically impossible, but still a humorous thought.

He returned to his charts while his latest 'blue sparking thing' (™ by Dr. Peter Venkman, all rights reserved) flashed and beeped in a chaotic rhythm. If his calculations were correct he would be able to predict when a class five or higher would appear and triangulate their location within 10 miles. Not only would it save on possible false alarms, but they could get to the scene before the ghost caused any problems. Peter wasn't too keen on the idea since it would be possible for people to claim that since they hadn't called the Ghostbusters they shouldn't have to pay for anything, but he was sure Ray or Winston would be able to lay the charm on. Humming to himself, he turned on his recorder.

"Note to self: research charm, how it's displayed, and possible uses/abuses."

Social graces had never been his strong suit so reading up on it would be a good idea. Peter and Ray had done their best to show him how to act in public. Usually the lessons ended with "Just sit and don't say anything.", which generally worked. Of course that plan didn't work so well when it came to talking to...certain people, particularly a sassy redhead who always seemed to be too close when he needed to concentrate.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"No Ray I don't have any Twinkies left."

"It's Janine."

"Speaking of…" he thought. A quick glance at the clock told him two hours had passed without him realizing it.

"Come in."

Janine entered carrying several brown shopping bags. She automatically headed to Egon's desk to offload the purchases, used to how he would keep his attention on his work. There was no conversation, or even an attempt at one, which was a little surprising to Egon. Generally she would ask about his work or make a pass at him. Today she was completely silent. He was about to ask if she was feeling alright when he heard her say,

"That's all of it. Eat your burger before Slimer finds it. You know how much he loves special sauce."

Egon turned to find his desk piled high with boxes of Twinkies, ding-dongs, cheese puffs, Oreos AND chocolate chip cookies. In the center was a brown McDonald's bag so that he could have a hot lunch instead of just snacks.

"Thank you Janine."

But she was already gone.

When the phone made it to the sixth ring Egon realized that Janine wasn't going to pick up. A glance outside told him that she had probably gone home hours before. He sighed and answered.

"Ghostbusters. If this isn't an emergency please call back during business hours.."

"Thank God! I need you to get down here right away! There's something...something in the sewers. All my guys are going nuts!"

Egon could hear numerous screams in the background.

"Is anyone in physical danger?"

"Three of my men are still missing! Please!"

"Sir we're currently affected by the flu epidemic. We can't…"

"MY MEN ARE MISSING."

Egon pulled the phone away from his ear as the man yelled more.

"I will do my best to be there in…" He glanced at his watch. It was four am. "two hours. Have the site cleared and blocked off. Do NOT go after your men until I arrive."

The caller thanked Egon repeatedly, gave the pertinent information, and hung up. Egon sighed and set his testing to stand-by while he went through his options. Currently all he could really do is see if any of the guys were up to a bust. If there weren't lives at stake he would just make the man wait, but that wouldn't do today.

The Firehouse was quiet and...not as dark as it should have been. A light was on in the living area. He assumed that someone had gotten tired of being in bed and moved to the sofa. He expected a sick co-worker, but what he found was Janine. She was sleeping, a book open on her chest. He noted she was wearing some of Peter's 'lazy Sunday' clothes (ie: a Coney Island t-shirt and sweatpants). Apparently she had stayed behind, presumably to take care of his friends. It was a rare moment that he could look at her without risking taunting from the guys or bold flirtation from her. Her face was soft from sleep and her makeup was washed off. Egon thought that she was pretty, makeup or no, but knowing the modern 80's woman as he did he knew she wouldn't go out without it. It wasn't that she was vain, but according to Winston some women used it as a 'shield against the world'. Egon had no idea what that meant but he assumed it was important.

He was still standing in the hall gazing at his secretary when Peter found him. Despite the fact that he wasn't even trying to be quiet, Egon still twitched when Peter touched his shoulder.

"Jumpy Spengs?"

"I have a lot on my mind. We got a call for a bust. Normally I'd put it off, but apparently three men are missing. Are you up for it? Wait, why are you awake?"

"I had to get rid of dinner."

Egon didn't need an explanation. He put a hand to Peter's forehead.

"You still have a fever. Are the rest still as bad?"

"I would assume so. Ray is has been getting up and down practically like clockwork every hour. Winston hasn't done much other than sleep and take hot showers."

Egon nodded. "Alright. I'll do some recon on my own and call if things are dire. Hopefully I can find the men and close off the tunnel before encountering whatever it is down there."

"No chance mister."

The men turned to see Janine sitting up on the sofa, fully alert.

"You aren't going on that bust alone."

"I don't have much of a choice, but…"

"No," she interrupted. "I'm going with you. That's final." She was already getting up and heading for the kitchen. "Peter I need one of your suits."

He rolled his eyes. "Why is it always my suit?"

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"Do you really want to argue with her? You'd have better luck proving dominance with a silver-back gorilla." Egon was about to respond when Janine returned with two cups of coffee. She handed one to Egon then sipped at her own. When he cocked an eyebrow at her she answered,

"I know your 'I haven't slept yet' look, so you'll need coffee. Sugar won't be enough to keep you awake. So, are we just going to stand around or are we going to take care of business?"

Peter snorted as best as his stuffy nose would allow.

"Best of luck Doctor," he chuckled as he walked back to bed.

Egon, being a logical and self-preserving scientist, said nothing as Janine suited up in Peter's gear, rolling up the sleeves to accommodate her shorter arms. He noted that in the 20 minutes between the conversation upstairs and now she had put her makeup back on and fluffed up her hair. She had also somehow found the time to change her earrings and bracelets to something that better matched Peter's jumpsuit. He wondered if she had her own locker somewhere out of sight that was stocked with all this...lady stuff.

"So we're going to a construction site?"

"Oh ah…" He wasn't thinking about the job so he was at a loss for a moment. "Kind of. It's a city crew working on the sewers by Battery Park. They're reporting what sounds like either a class V or class VII, but the foreman said he got different descriptions for all the men. It's possible we're dealing with a shape-shifter, or multiple targets so we'll need to careful." Egon opened Ray's locker and fished out his Ecto Goggles.

"Take these just in case."

Janine frowned. "They don't fit over my glasses very well."

"I know the feeling," he replied.

Once they finished loading up the Ecto-1 it was about 5:30 am. As Egon drove he continued to fill Janine in, although she got the feeling it was more for him than for her.

"According to the foreman, some men reported seeing snakes, spiders, and the like crawling on them, while others suffered from psychological damage. Four others had phantom physical changes, such as a limb suddenly going missing."

"Sounds like Fear."

"Well one would assume they would be afraid…"

"No Egon, I mean it sounds like the embodiment of Fear. I just read this book by Stephen King called 'It'. The villain is an entity that changes shape in order to terrify and 'feed' off their fear...or in some cases the actual person. I hope that's not what happened to the missing men."

Egon made a noise of agreement, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Every person had their own vision or nightmare. Sometimes it was someone they loved or feared, a clown, or in one case the Wolfman. Personally I can handle those...except the clown. I can do without that."

"I wasn't aware you liked Stephen King. It doesn't seem like your usual reading."

Janine glanced at Egon, hiding her surprise.

"Are you engaging in a normal conversation with me Dr. Spengler?"

"Ms. Melnitz, as you are quick to point out, there's nothing 'normal' about me,"

"Ah but good Doctor, that's what I like about you."

He blushed, coughed, and changed the subject.

"I'm hoping that this will be an exploratory mission. I mean no insult, but if this is a ghost or demon that feeds on fear, the two of us might not be enough to stop it. My main goal is to get readings and hopefully find the missing men. I would prefer not to engage the entity."

"Only you can say 'no offense' and actually mean it."

"Thanks...I think."

An awkward silence took over the cab of Ecto-1. Janine assumed he was thinking about the bust, but he was actually wondering why Janine wasn't…well, Janine-like today. Finally he decided it was better to find out now than later.

"You seem different today. Is everything alright?"

If she was startled by how he asked two personal questions in one day, she didn't show it.

"I'm fine, just tired."

Peter's voice chimed in Egon's head.

"When a woman says 'fine, ok, or just tired', it's really the opposite."

"Are you sure? I'm aware that the guys have been running you ragged, but I've never seen you so quiet."

He saw her smile slightly in the pre-dawn light.

"Funny you should say that. I ran into an old school friend on my last shopping run yesterday. He said the only reason he recognized me was because of my hair color."

"Have you changed a lot since school?"

"Yes. Believe it or not I was pretty shy back then and I didn't have many friends. I guess between seeing him and feeling run down I'm just not up to being my usual self."

Egon filed this information away. Janine as a shy girl seemed too implausible and required more research.

"I didn't know that you being you required effort."

She snorted in Classic Janine style, and fished a small tube out of one of the pockets of her jumpsuit.

"Buddy, you don't know the half of it. It takes a lot of work to be this fabulous!" she said, touching up her lipstick.

He could tell she was forcing herself to be outgoing, but there was no more time to dwell on it. The Battery Park Service Entrance loomed before them, the sun rising just beyond the gate. Police, fire trucks, and EMS were scattered about while people in various uniforms stood around waiting. As Egon had requested there was a wide swath of open space between the city's best and the sewer access. An abandoned utilities truck sat by the entrance, tools and safety equipment scattered about. Bright portable lights were everywhere, but were getting shut down in spots now that the sun was coming up. When Ecto-1 pulled up they were immediately met by the site foreman and a woman in uniform who Egon assumed was official rep for the police.

"Thank you for getting here so quickly!" The foreman was practically pulling Egon out of Ecto.

"Steve I know you're anxious but Dr. Spengler enjoys personal space," said the officer, expertly removing the foreman from Egon's arm. "Sorry about that sir. I'm Lieutenant Carvey. I worked with your team a few months ago when a ghost took up residence in our precinct's evidence room."

"Ah yes. It was interesting to go behind the scenes, especially since we usually only get that far when we're being arrested."

Lt. Carvey laughed. It was a light tinkling sound that made the men nearby look in her direction. Egon realized that this was the cop that Peter had tried to make passes at the entire time but failed miserably.

"Dr. Spengler, this is very forward of me, but…"

Janine watched Egon and the officer talk. She couldn't hear what they were saying despite the fact they were only yards away. With all the vehicles, personnel, and a newly-arrived roach coach (with free coffee God bless) there was too much noise for her to overhear anything. She tried not to be jealous of the woman who was supermodel attractive. The uniform only accentuated her athletic lines and Janine bet that when she took off her hat her blond curls would tumble down in a way that would make prepubescent boys grow chest hair. It also didn't help that she was laughing with Egon in a way that no one could misunderstand.

"You can't be jealous girl. He isn't yours." she told herself. That didn't stop the jolt of panic when she saw the officer hand Egon a folded piece of paper. Egon smiled as he took it, carefully putting it in his breast pocket. The cop thanked him, appearing to be equal parts nervous and excited, which only made her look (ugh) adorable. Janine couldn't fault the woman's game. It was solid, but why did she have to go after Egon? She tried to distract herself with getting the equipment out of the back while Dr. Spengler chatted up the bombshell.

"Just goes to show, you can put paint on a duck but that won't make it a swan."

Janine's heart ached. After school she put all her effort into reinventing herself, but it still didn't mean anything. Seeing Michael yesterday, happily married with kids at his side...it hurt. It hurt because she was still lonely and alone, just like when she was a teen. She didn't cry but she wanted to. Maybe she could pretend she was frustrated with the proton pack that just wouldn't freaking come out of the damn equipment slide.

"Excuse me miss? Can I help you with that?"

Janine looked up into the ocean blue eyes of a fireman who had seen she was in distress. He was almost as tall as Egon but far more built, as his skin tight t-shirt happily showed. His uniform pants hid everything below the belt, but everyone likes a mystery, particularly when it was one wrapped up in the fantasy of a heroic firefighter.

"Oh! Sure, thank you."

Catwalk Cop and Dr. Spengler were the last things on her mind as the buff guy with a blinding smile easily pulled the pack from its slot and helped her into it.

"It feels about as heavy as our full oxygen kit, but something tells me you can handle it." he grinned, holding out his hand. "I'm Chad."

"Janine." She shook it, her mind filled with naughty thoughts about calloused fingers and delicate places.

"Are you new? I love reading about the paranormal so there isn't much I don't know about the Ghostbusters, but I had no idea they had a woman like you around."

She knew from the glint in his eyes what he meant by that. A flirty remark was on her lips when a rough cough from behind interrupted her.

"Janine is on our auxiliary team. She doesn't often go on jobs because she's needed in the office. If you will excuse us, we have a job to do."

Egon's words weren't unusual, but the tone had her flabbergasted, then furious. Most people would assume he was jealous, but few people could claim to know Egon Spengler well.

Chad knew a dismissal when he heard one.

"Good luck down there. See you later Janine," he winked and trotted off.

The pair finished kitting up in silence. Egon could tell she was angry enough to spit nails, but had no clue why.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner to help you with the packs," he ventured, Peter's words in his ear.

"Examine, listen, diffuse. Dr. V knows how to deal with angry women."

"It's fine." she snapped.

"Do you need any help with…"

"No, I'm FINE."

Egon decided it was time to take the 'sit down and shut up' advice. He followed her silently as she stormed off to the sewer entrance, pulling out his PKE meter to start getting readings. As they passed the abandoned utility truck. Egon stopped and peered inside.

"Janine?"

She spun around mid-stride.

"WHAT?"

"Ah…" His body screamed fight or flight but he stood his ground. "We're going into a dark and dangerous area. I think it would behoove us to use some of their tools."

He handed her a clip on flashlight and some glow sticks, while he took a Maglite that could hook onto his belt. While she was distracted he checked to make sure her pack and trap were on. In moments they were back on track to the sewer. The entrance was a wide open maw of concrete that sloped gently up and out of the ground. It was big enough to drive Ecto in, but Egon felt it was better to go on foot at this point. The opening was brightly lit thanks to portable lights, however it didn't take long for the light to dim then disappear as they headed into the sewers. Egon pulled his thrower, keeping it in his right hand and the PKE meter in his left. Janine followed his example and put the Ecto Goggles on as well as pulling her thrower. Nothing was moving or making a sound. All they could hear was water dripping and their own equipment humming.

"Janine, I want to apologize."

She said nothing, just kept walking.

"It was, ah…" he failed for words, "rude? Rude of me."

She stopped and turned to him.

"You don't know why I'm angry do you?"

Egon mumbled, nodding.

"I can deal with the fact that you were flirting with that cop in front of me. I can deal with you scaring off Chad because you do that thing guys do. What I cannot, and will not deal with is being made to feel like I'm anything less than an important part of the Ghostbusters."

He was truly baffled. What was she talking about? He holstered his thrower to free up a hand.

"Janine, of course you are! And I was not flirting…"

"Oh save it," she interrupted. "A blind man could see the looks you two were giving each other."

"We'll talk about that later," Egon stepped closer to her. Even with the Goggles on he could see she was trying to keep control unsuccessfully. After thinking about what he had said to that muscle bound pretty boy (who he was sure was only hired to pose in fundraising calendars), it occurred to him why she was angry.

"Janine, I never meant to make you feel like that. The team couldn't function without you. We'd be lost, or at the very least unemployed and homeless."

She didn't crack a smile, but he could feel the tension in the air lessening. She took the Goggles off, holding them by the strap so they dangled.

"You made me feel like I was just a secretary," she said looking down, tears of frustration threatening to come.

Egon put at hand on her shoulder. When she didn't look up he moved his hand to her chin, forcing her to make eye contact.

"You are not, and could never be 'just' a secretary, especially not to me."

He didn't mean to go that far, but the light in her eyes was worth it.

"Oh Egon, do you mean it?" Her voice had gone breathy and low, alarming him in a purely male way. He let go of her chin quickly and took a brisk step back.

"You're more of an office manager really," He coughed indelicately into his hand. Janine knew he was full of crap, but she let the lie sit there.

"Come on Doctor. Let's keep hunting," she said, grinning.