Sex, Lies and Variables Chapter 7: Your Symmetry, a ghostbusters fanfic

Once they got to the house, Eugene insisted the whole lot of them come in for a drink, his dad wanted to meet all of them!

"Nice guy." Winston remarked as he slid in behind the wheel of Ecto-1.

"Eugene's mother must have been a giraffe, did you see how tall he is compared to his father?" Peter raised an eyebrow.

"You should see my aunt Lois, I'm almost three inches taller then her! Sometimes growth spurts go crazy..." Ray shrugged.

He and Peter were sat in the seats that faced away from the drivers seat, so Peter was able to move one hand to lightly caress Ray's thigh without Zeddemore being any the wiser. Ray blushed, his heart racing around his rib cage as he met Peter's sultry gaze.

Ray offered to empty the traps and Peter trailed idly after him, asking what was the plan for dinner?

—If his brain's not in his pants, it's clearly in his stomach..— Winston thought, rolling his eyes as he headed upstairs for coffee.

Peter managed to hold out until Ray had set the traps aside for recharging, then he moved quickly and scooped him up to sit him atop the railings in front of the unit. His hands clutched Ray's sides gently, tangling his fingers in the loops of his utility belt to steady him.

"Peter.." Ray began, on the verge of saying they should probably get back upstairs so he could sort out dinner, but Peter had other ideas. Recalling the first morning after, he nibbled on Ray's earlobe and brushed teasing kisses behind said ear. The rest of Ray's sentence went off-track faster then a racehorse hopped up on caffeine.

"I need to make din- ooh, t-that's...mmh..." he trailed off into a deliriously happy sigh, biting his lip and pressing closer as he gripped Peter's shoulders tightly, scrunching handfuls of his friend's uniform in his hands. Upping the ante, Peter's hands moved down to caress his bottom and Ray had to bite back an urgent moan.

"You're so damn cute, Raymond." Peter praised as he ceased teasing his friend and kissed him firmly on the lips. When he let go, Ray was flushed an endearing shade of pink and his eyes shone with an infectious enthusiasm.

He seen the way Ray bit his lip, all sorts of cute thoughts flashing across his eyes; then he glanced at the stairwell.

"OK, cutie." Peter smiled, helping Ray down off the railing "let's go eat.."

Ray nodded quietly, yet he wished they could-

"..before I get hungry enough to get a taste of YOU."

Peter watched Ray out of the corner of his eye, spotting the precise moment the innuendo/euphemism sunk in and Ray's innocence booted up.

"P-Peter!" The younger man squeaked urgently, turning to glower at his partner and getting that trademark seductive grin.

"Sorry, hot stuff." Venkman apologised, seeing Ray look a little mollified at the gesture "I'm just teasing..."

Ray sulked for a second, closed the distance between them and kissed Peter quickly, then turned and headed for the stairs with a smile gracing his lips. Behind him, Peter raised an eyebrow but smiled, the gestures obvious affection making him adore Ray even more. He followed after him, glad they'd been able to grab that brief time together, he hated having to sneak around.

—Who says you have to, lieutenant Duh?— his brain piped up, making him actually pause on the second to last step before the main lobby of the firehouse. —Winston didn't seem to care about Egon and his bed-friend, why would he raise an eyebrow?—

Peter's heart stuttered at the possibilities, but the cynic in him asked could he risk opening up a life he'd kept so private for good reason?

Ray, sensing something was off, turned to look back at Peter. Seeing him staring off into space, he stepped back down the stairs so they were level with each other. He set a hand on Peter's arm, asking was he OK?

"I'm fine, Ray." Peter assured him and after a moments hesitation with those soft hazel eyes searching Peter's expression, Ray seemed convinced enough to continue on up to the kitchen.

Peter sat at the dinner table, staring into space as he pondered an ideal scenario where he could-

"Boo!" Winston seen a spacing out Peter and simply couldn't resist sneaking up behind him.

"Sweet merciful CRAP!" Peter yelled, almost leaping out of his chair, such was his fright. He glared at Winston, who snorted in amusement.

"Worth it." He smirked as Venkman twitched irritably.

Watching this out of the corner of his eye, Ray sighed, the sound resembling such a strong reprimand that both his friends looked slightly shamefaced for a moment. Peter stuck his tongue out at Zeddemore, who shook his head and drifted away to sit on the couch and switch the TV on. Peter hovered around Ray, silently observing what he was cooking for a minute, then he gravitated towards the TV too.

Not long after the others had left,Eugene had to nip outside to chop some firewood and was surprised when Egon insisted on accompanying him.

The bright light spilling from the kitchen door lent enough light to open the woodshed and Eugene began piling logs off to the side, before grabbing the axe from where it leant against the wall of the shed.

"Mind if I try?" Egon asked suddenly, making Eugene do a double take, so the doctor elaborated "I would like to test a theory on wether momentum and calculation would enable a first timer to hit the mark easily."

"Well, I've enjoyed all your other theories so far. So heck, why not?" Eugene winked, making Egon stall a moment while he worked that one out, then he went red and made a flustered noise. Eugene tapped the genius on the nose, seeing a faint blush in his cheeks as Egon glowered at him.

"Sorry, Eeg. Here, let me show you how to brace yourself."

He seen a cute, forgiving smile curve Eeg's lips and somehow resisted the urge to plant one on him right there and then. He moved to stand behind Spengler and pressing his chest against Egon's back, the warmth of him soaking through Eugene's jacket. He moved Egon's hands on the handle of the axe, nudging his feet with his own so he was balancing his weight properly. Then he stepped back to give Egon room to swing the axe back over his head.

"That's it, easy now…"

Egon studied the log in front of him, all the mental mathematics completed in his head and he geared up as much strength as he could and swung the axe down.

Eugene stared as Egon hit the log dead centre, the precision strike split the log neatly and the head of the axe buried itself in the tree stump.

"Whoa, Eeg. Nice!" he laughed, shaking his head in amazement "I guess maths CAN come in handy in real life- my teacher wasn't lying."

"Of course not, it is fundamental to many things." Egon said, letting go of the axe handle and rubbing his shoulder "however, I may have been a bit overzealous in my calculations."

A chilly breeze whispered across the back of his neck and Egon shivered softly.

Eugene chuckled, removing his varsity jacket and draping it over Eeg's shoulders, brushing a brief kiss over his forehead as Egon turned curious grey eyes on him.

"Don't worry about me, I'll warm up once I get started on this lot." He gestured to the pile of logs awaiting him. Egon perched on the empty log-storage bin nearby, holding Eugene's jacket tightly around his shoulders. It held the scent of woodsmoke and grass, triggering his memory to flash back to the scent of Eugene's skin after he'd been doing the mowing. That'd been on their second date…

"Look, Eeg." Eugene's voice pulled him from his daydreams as Eugene stood in front of him, hands resting in a loose cradle, within which rested a bug with a soft orange glow coming from its back.

"A firefly?" Egon murmured, leaning closer and watching the little shimmering insect as it roamed across the landscape of Eugene's palm, casting a minute shadow as it did.

"Cool, aren't they? I was fascinated by them as a child."

"It certainly IS beautiful, insects are a marvel of nature." Egon said softly, blinking as the bug buzzed its wings abruptly and flew up into the air, circling the two of them before vanishing into the dark.

Eugene's lips brushed his the next second and Egon closed his eyes, relaxing into the kiss with a surge of happiness. They parted after several seconds, both flushed but smiling. The light from the distant kitchen door threw their features into soft relief, shadows half concealing them from prying eyes.

"Eeg..." Eugene smiled as Egon took his out-held hand and let himself be helped down from his perch.

"Want some help carrying those?" Egon asked, pointing to the pile of firewood.

Eugene grinned "OK, but we just need enough for tonight; we can grab the rest tomorrow, pops and I."

Egon nodded, grabbing the firewood and amassing a suitable load under Eugene's watchful eye. They went back inside, where mr Visitor looked up from his spot by the fire and regarded them with a warm smile.

"You boys were gone awhile, get lost out there did ya?" he chuckled good-naturedly as the duo set the logs in a wicker basket by the fire.

"I was showing Egon the fireflies." Eugene said "remember, from when I was a kid?"

"Oh ho, you couldn't wait to go outside and chase them in the summer. You'd be at the back door with a net, determined to catch some for your room, how could I forget?" Eugene's dad chuckled and Egon smiled softly.

He discovered that he enjoyed sitting by the fire and eating a nice, relaxing dinner with Eugene and his father, an opposing mood to the rowdy dinners with his friends. The Visitor's talked easily of so many things from past to present and Egon even found himself FINALLY telling them the story about the Emu. Eugene laughed so hard he got cramp, almost crying in amusement as Egon face-palmed at the end of the tale.

"Venkman wasn't kidding, it WAS obsessed with nipping you in the butt."

"What a silly bird," Mr Visitor laughed "never heard tell of one being that obsessed. Did you have something in your pants pocket it might've wanted?"

Egon thought back "Twinkies?" he guessed.

"Who could resist a Twinkie?" Eugene mused. —Or Eeg's cute behind- —

He cut that train of thought short, now was not the time.

But fate threw a spanner in the works when, on attempting to start the car to drive Egon back to Ghostbusters HQ, the engine decided to conk out and refused to turn over.

"I regret that I know little about cars, that's Ray's department." Egon said apologetically as the three of them stood around the bonnet. Eugene assured him it was fine, but soon realised there was a further situation that arose thanks to the misbehaving vehicle.

"You're welcome to stay here tonight, sonny." Mr Visitor said to Egon, as if reading his son's mind "it's awfully late and it feels like there's a storm coming."

"That would be much appreciated." Egon nodded, before asking if he could use the phone please?

Ray was closest to the phone, which meant he had to answer it. Logic of a lazy-off.

"Hello? Oh, Egon, hey…what's-? Oh." he nodded "the car broke down? I could drive over and- okay, if you're sure."

"What's going on?" Winston asked, while Peter remained silent, merely raising one eyebrow like a question.

Ray covered the handset "The Visitors' car has broken down and they don't have the parts on hand to fix it tonight. Egon's gonna stay there tonight, says we can swing by and grab him tomorrow morning-"

He put the phone back to his ear "Yep, I'll put the proton pack and uniform in the car."

"Mm-hmm...the car isn't working..." Peter waggled his eyebrows and whispered this to Winston.

Ray blinked at what Egon was saying on the phone, then twisted in his seat to look at Peter "Uhh, Egon said "tell Peter to grow up already. Guttermind."

Peter snorted with laughter, rolling his eyes as he returned his attention to his food as Ray listened to Egon's explanations.

"See you tomorrow then. Alright, goodnight." Ray said with a nod.

"It will be if they're sharing a room-" Peter piped up, only for Ray to interrupt;

"And I quote; "if he makes one more joke, tell him I'm going to follow through with that threat about the acid and his hair."

When Ray put the phone down, Peter started giggling away, making Stantz shake his head in despair.

-If Egon ever found out about US, I wonder if he'd be likely to pass up the chance to level the playing field?— the thought made him ponder, would they ever be as lucky as Egon and Eugene, able to sit close and smile within the confines of HQ?

While Winston was off on a trip to the bathroom, Peter looked over at Ray, flashing him a smile that seemed to sum up everything they shared and make a shiver of electricity run up Ray's spine as he returned it, feeling his heart about to explode from happiness.

Back at Eugene's place, Eugene was listening in, his arms wrapped around Egon's middle as the doctor scolded Venkman via a very bemused Ray. Once he put the phone down, Eugene began chuckling.

"Honestly." Egon grumped as he felt the vibrations of laughter in Eugene's body, typical old Peter and his dirty imagination. Eugene's dad had retired to bed not long ago, so Eugene could get away with climbing all over his precious Eeg, not that Egon minded one bit.

They went upstairs, but as Eugene opened the door to his room, Egon's hand tangled with his. Outside, heavy rain cascaded down, rivulets of water making endless tracks on the windows.

"We don't need to sleep just yet, do we?" the doctor asked softly and Eugene smiled, opening the door and ushering Egon inside. They sat atop his bed, Eugene cradling Egon against his chest as they talked briefly about work, before both their secretive desires finally won out and their lips found one another, hands roaming over and under clothing. Egon's heart was starting to race and he reluctantly pulled away a moment later, making Eugene study him worriedly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, kissing his lover on the lips as he studied his expression.

"Mistake it not for dismissal," Egon said in his delightfully seductive way "but would our, ah, 'activities' not cause a lot of noise? I can feel from this beds composition that it will creak most unceasingly."

"True," Eugene sighed "dang, I had such plans for you too."

"Oh?" Egon asked, "Might I enquire as to the particulars?"

"Not much to say, involving you, the bed, me and a lot of-"

Egon flushed, biting back the urge to chuckle at Eugene's grin as the man broke off, raising an eyebrow at HIM.

"Shameless innuendo?" he asked of him now and Eugene grinned ever wider, kissing him and patting his bottom as reward.

That was when Eugene had an idea and the glint in his eye sent an enticing thrill up Egon's back.

"There is a way to add to your tally without making too much noise and giving the game away. Care to let me test another theory?"

Egon felt his heart-rate spike in curiosity and nodded wordlessly. Eugene kissed him fiercely enough to take his breath away and gently nudged Egon back so he was lying stretched out on the old-fashioned bed.

Eugene knew just where to kiss, to touch, to send shiver after shiver up Egon's spine, urging him closer and closer to arousal. His breath caught in his throat as Eugene unbuttoned his neatly ironed slacks, nuzzling between his legs.

Oh, NOW he understood.

Eugene wasn't wrong, it WAS a lot quieter then the usual passionate physical loving, but Egon still made himself keep a hand over his mouth to muffle any stray moans of pleasure. As the climax faded and he removed his hand from his mouth to take a lungful of air, Eugene nuzzled his forehead.

"What do you think? Should I run another test?"

Egon tangled his fingers in Eugene's hair, pressing his lips to the other man's and running his tongue along his bottom lip. There it was again, that taste;

"It IS important to get plenty of data, but wont the results be skewed in my favour?" he asked, parting from a flushed Eugene, who wondered if Eeg knew how hot he was when he did little things like that?

"Mmm, no need to worry about that. This one's all about you." Eugene assured him, seeing Egon flush happily, but the desire in his eyes was hard to deny. So when Eugene ceased kissing him to venture back down on him again, he didn't protest.

They exchanged several short, sweet kisses as Eugene guided Egon to the spare room he'd be sleeping in. The last thing he seen was Egon's slate-grey eyes, filled with contentment, then the door shut with a soft click.

Inside on the spare bed, Egon got into a spare set of pyjamas Eugene had given him. The fabric was a little baggy on him, for Eugene was of a broader build in comparison to Egon, but the only thing he noticed was how warm they were.

He burrowed under the covers, feeling his face flush as he recalled what had just transpired. Eugene certainly knew a lot about stimulation, didn't he?

He fell asleep, feeling more free and unconstrained then he ever had in his life. He couldn't imagine going back to his old way of life, not when this treasure trove of intimate pleasures had been availed of him…

He was woken out of bed by the sound of a horn honking outside. Rolling over in the warm, cosy bed, he slapped a hand against the window, pushing it open and letting in sweet-scented fresh air. Leaning out said window, he heard voices drifting on the wind, coming from the front of the house.

"Peter, will you cut that out?!" that was Winston's voice, his friends were here. Wait, what?!

Glancing at his watch, Egon realised he'd slept past his usual body-clocks time of rising and panicked, throwing himself out of bed and doing a manic rendition of how he normally got dressed. Thankfully Eugene's little "attentions" last night hadn't creased his clothing, he'd set them aside with care this time. Usually, Egon mused, they just kind of threw them all over the place with abandon.

He got to the top of the stairs with loafers in hand just as Peter stepped into view.

"Yo, lover-boy, we gotta bail- got a big call up in-GAH!"

He ducked as Egon reacted on instinct and threw a shoe at him, just missing his head.

"All right already, geez you're cranky today!" Venkman groused, darting back to the relative safety of 'beside Ray'. Ray shot him a stern look and Peter pouted back, arms folded.

Mr Visitor chuckled as Eugene just shook his head.

"That fellas a lively one, reminds me of your uncle."

Eugene muffled a laugh. For all his uncanny observation powers and borderline loopy behaviour, he actually kinda liked Venkman. The guy seemed to have no shame, no filter….

He waved goodbye to Egon from the front step as the ectomobile drove away. He smiled at his father as they went back inside;

"That Spengler lad is a good fella. I'm glad you have him to help you, kiddo."

"Me too." Eugene smiled "he's been a lifesaver, pops."

Mr Visitor heard the tone of his son's voice and smiled. He had a hunch, it was time he let Eugene know.

"You look after the lad, you hear me. He needs a bit of warmth and kindness in his life."

"Pops..?" Eugene blinked, feeling abruptly nervous. But to his surprise, his father turned and hugged him.

"I had a hunch my boy, back before you disappeared. But, I never got the chance to speak with you before you vanished. It makes me happy to see you two together."

"You're not freaked out then..?" Eugene stammered "I-i mean..."

"Nothing wrong with loving someone special, who cares wether its a girl or a guy? You could be gay, straight or entirely unconcerned and I'll still be proud of you, Eugene. I've always liked that Spengler fellow, I'd say he's perfect for you."

"How did you…?"

"Know for certain?" his father released him from the hug, giving Eugene a wry grin "I went into the kitchen to grab a drink and seen you smooch the lad out by the shed."

Eugene facepalmed "I should really pay attention."

Then it hit him, THAT was why his father hadn't batted an eyelid on hearing Peter yell "lover boy" shortly before ducking an incoming shoe.

Mr Visitor chuckled "yes, that lad's carrying on was quite amusing, probably would've merely made me question his sanity if I hadn't seen you two last night."

"To be fair pops, I think Venkman has that effect on a lot of people." Eugene snickered. But inside he was light-headed from the shock of the reveal and relief that his father was all right with his choice of partner.

But the lighthearted days were set to take a tumble for the other Ghostbusting couple, as soon as the next day in fact. A plan set in place months ago was now set to take off. Every reading had been obtained, all relevant data collected and the subject had been confirmed. If this plan was a success, power as yet unheard of would be theirs...

The same figure Egon had glimpsed just the day before watched the firehouse from a distance. He seen the Ghostbusters return home and for a while nothing happened, then the secretary left, followed by the two identified as "Egon" and "Winston" in that trademark car.

"Sir, the target is in optimum position for acquisition, but one other remains with him."

He listened, nodded.

"Yes, it's the same one with him at the book shop, "Ray"."

He smirked, hearing his bosses orders loud and clear.

"Understood, sir. Alive, but sufficiently 'warned.'"

The figure cut the call and grinned as he strode towards the firehouse. From other hiding places, his assistants seamlessly got into position, their van pulling up alongside HQ as he opened the door.

By luck, Venkman was sat right in his line of sight, feet propped up at the desk. He barely bothered to glance up as he heard footsteps.

"Sorry, we're a little short staffed right now. Unless it's literally trying to eat your face off, we can't do anything."

"Oh, I'm not here for business proposals Dr Venkman, I'm here on behalf of my boss." the figure said and Peter's blood ran cold, he KNEW that voice. His mind flashed back to that first night at the club where he and Ivan had been interrupted from their kiss. Sure enough, it WAS the same guy. Peter's eyes narrowed and he raised his voice in irritation.

"Well tell your 'boss', to back off. I told him it was over and I meant it." Peter got to his feet, walking round the desk to glare down at this guy. "now LEAVE."

"I'm afraid I cant do that, I was tasked to come here and retrieve something very specific, the boss will be very upset if I don't."

"What are you talking about?" Peter felt his stomach shift in unease and clenched his hands at his sides, body tightly wound and ready to throw a punch.

"Why, YOU of course." The man smirked and right on cue, Peter swung for him but was surprised by his opponent stepping back with remarkable speed so the swing missed him by a clear margin. Venkman stumbled back, on high alert now- he had to press the alarm button, get the others back here fast!

"Ah ah..." The guy chuckled, then snapped his fingers "you'd be wise to come with us, otherwise."

A muffled voice reached Peter's ears and he turned just as two goons dragged Ray into view on the steps. They'd used a torn length of bedsheet as a gag, presumably to stop Peter getting wind of their intrusion. Going by the fresh bruises on Ray's face, he'd put up quite a fight, but even he was no match for the two that'd tied his arms behind his back.

"Ray-?! You assholes-" Peter swung back around in time to see another suited goon had materialised out of thin air and stood before him now. He backed up sharpish, only for someone else to pin his arms to his side, their beefy arms like a vice.

"Lights out, Doctor." The ringleader sneered as the goon in front of Venkman pulled a box from his pocket. Inside it was a syringe filled with a clear liquid, its sharp point gleaming in the light. Ray struggled and fought, feeling panicked tears soaking the fabric muffling his mouth.

Peter lashed out then, managing to kick the one advancing on him right in the crown jewels, causing him to double over and snarl in pain.

"Go play with the traffic!" Peter shouted hoarsely as he twisted and fought against the gorilla holding him in place "and get your filthy hands off me, you animal!"

The goon he'd decked in the crown jewels recovered himself, swinging the syringe with a certain vengeance and burying it in Venkman's leg. He pressed the plunger down, injecting a heavy dose of sedative into the targets bloodstream.

Peter felt the one restraining him finally let go, but the world was already going fuzzy. As he collapsed to the floor, the last thing he seen was Ray's desperate gaze locked on him, his muffled voice screaming something, then nothing.

"Good." The ringleader said as the goon who'd been restraining Venkman picked him up now, heading for the exit where a truck waited outside, disguised as a movers van.

"Now, to deal with YOU." The leader turned to where a shocked Ray had ceased struggling against his captors now, evidently in severe shock.

Ray felt close to passing out, his chest was tearing from the pain of seeing Peter being abducted before his eyes, yet being helpless to stop it. The fabric tied over his mouth was making it hard to breathe…

"Seems a shame, but I can't have you waking up until we're finished with Venkman. Urgent rituals are afoot, there's no time to waste erasing all you meddlesome idiots from our path. Call everyone you please once you awaken, but even you Ghostbusters don't know what you're dealing with."

He removed another box from his pocket "time for a little nap, Dr Stantz. Don't let it be said I don't show some mercy in leaving you alive for your friends to find. Its not as if you have the ability to stop me anyway."

Ray's legs gave way and he crumpled to his knees as the guy advanced on him. He was hyperventilating, he couldn't think straight-

The lights above them exploded in a shower of sparks just as the guy swung the needle towards his neck-

The sudden plunge to darkness was enough to throw the guy's aim off, the needle burying itself in Ray's shoulder instead. He felt the plunger press, felt a brief, icy sensation in his veins-

More explosions and an unearthly scream met his ears.

"What the hell?!" one of the goons subduing Ray said, loosening his grip on Stantz as he glanced wildly around him. Ray took the opening, launching up from the floor and throwing his weight against the ringleader. He heard the needle snap, heard his attacker curse loudly. The world spun as Ray hit the floor, frantically scrambling for cover in the chaos as he threw himself towards the desk.

"Grab him-!"

But Ray had reached the desk, aiming a well-placed kick at a button behind Janine's desk. Alarms began blaring, strobing red light cutting through the poor illumination. Through the screaming alarm, Ray heard snatches of voices;

"Go, Go! He got at least some of the dose, he'll be of no use to anyone for enough time to finish the ritual. Move, before this racket draws attention."

"Mr Rhodes is gonna be pissed..."

"Doesn't matter, we got his precious 'Doctor Venkman.' As ordered." in the strobing lights, Ray seen and heard them abandon the station, tyres screeching as their van burned rubber and took Peter with them...

Left alone in the darkness, Ray rubbed his face against the edge of Janine's desk, succeeding in loosening the gag and taking a shuddering gasp of air. He was just trying to free his hands from the shreds of sheeting that bound them when he felt a hand brush his back. He screamed in panic, throwing himself away from it-

"Please, young sir-" he knew that voice, it was Alessa…

She materialised before him now, entreating him to please be calm.

"T-that was you, wasn't it?" Ray stammered as she was able to knock a book against the alarm switch, silencing it.

"Yes, I had been slumbering in the space above-" she gestured upstairs, meaning the attic "then I awoke to feel a strong sense of danger. I was too late to stop them from taking the guardian, but I did my best to free you."

"G-guardian?" Ray hiccuped as she concentrated her ghostly abilities to clumsily use Janine's scissors to cut the sheets enough for Ray to wriggle free.

"Yes, the one who so stalwartly protected you when he thought me a threat." She smiled and Ray realised she was referring to how protective Peter had been that morning. Tears pricked his eyes and he struggled to stand on shaking legs. Only a little of that drug had gotten into him in the end, all the wriggling then the last-ditch escape meant the needle had not only snapped off, leaving a slim shard dug into Ray's shoulder, but had barely been injected to start with. Ray ripped the needle from his shoulder, seeing small flecks of blood on its tip as he let it clatter to the desk.

His legs gave way and he slumped back against Janine's desk, feeling about to be sick. The roar of an engine reached his ears and he pressed back against the desk, had they come back?!

Egon frowned as he looked at the firehouse, seeing it looked like some of the lights were off. He checked the Ecto-1 onboard computer again, it was definitely showing the emergency alarm had been activated. But the signal had ceased a little too rapidly and so they'd ditched the rest of their assignments to return. Janine wasn't due back that day, which meant only Peter and Ray were home. If something ghostly had attacked them, the two might not have been enough to fend it off…

Winston shoved the door open, frowning as he seen the flickering lights in the cavernous entrance hall.

"Ray!" Egon said, darting forward as Winston's eyes settled on the huddled figure in front of Janine's desk, barely noticeable in all the chaos. A pinkish ghost wavered into view as Egon approached, her see-through hand resting on Ray's shoulder.

"Ray?" Egon could tell something was majorly wrong by how Ray recoiled from him, breathing shaky and ragged.

"Ray? It's all right man, it's just us." Winston spoke calmly, peering worriedly at Ray as he crouched beside Egon. "What happened, where's Pete?"

"T-they took him." Ray choked out tearfully.

"Who did?" Egon noticed the length of fabric around Ray's neck and realised whatever had happened had been a co-ordinated attack.

"I don't know..." Ray gasped "I was upstairs sleeping; when suddenly someone's got their hand over my mouth and there was a knife..."

"I'm calling the police-" Winston strode away but Ray suddenly launched to his feet with surprising speed, knocking Egon on his rear.

"Stop!" he gasped, grabbing Winston's arm tightly. The former Marine stared in surprise, why was Ray scared of the cops?

"Ray, someone hit this place hard, took Pete and tied you up! I get you're in shock, but trust me, the cops gotta get in on this-"

"Theres no time!" Ray said desperately "the guy with the syringe said there was a ritual- They're going to kill him, Winston, we have to find them!" he felt his voice crack, couldn't hold on any longer "please-!"

Winston hesitated as Ray broke down, almost collapsing had he not grabbed the shaken Stantz by his arm and hastily steadied him.

Massaging his bruised tailbone, Egon noticed the broken section of syringe and carefully picked it up with a napkin. He ran upstairs to run tests on it while Winston followed with Ray, sitting him at the table until the shocked mans cries finally petered out. He must have been scared witless…

Alessa stayed nearby, wanting to comfort Stantz after all he'd been through.

"This is strong stuff," Egon looked up from his equipment "if they knocked Peter out with this, they must mean business."

"Ok Ray, what else can you tell us?" Winston spoke gently to the mute Raymond. Egon was running from spot to spot, putting every computer he had on task, looking for high PKE readings, electricity surges, anything.

"I-i.." Ray sniffled again "I h-heard them say a name, a mr Rhodes…."

"Means nothing to me.." Winston said and Egon shook his head also. Ray wracked his brains, trying to think- then it connected and he had a terrible feeling.

"The guy from the club-! Peter mentioned someone named Ivan...m-maybe they're one and the same? The guys who attacked said it didn't matter what happened to me, they had mr Rhodes' precious 'Doctor.' He always called Peter 'doctor' or 'Venkman', never called him by name…"

His mind was going a hundred miles an hour, would this Ivan guy really take being broken up with that seriously? It was crazy!

"This is sounding kind of stalker-ish," Winston said "so this guy had the hots for Peter, is that it? How long was this going on and how on earth do YOU know all this? No offence, but Peter is about as touchy-feely as a porcupine-I even tried getting him to talk when he was stone drunk, wouldn't give up a thing!"

Rays fear abruptly turned to impatient fury. Peter was in mortal danger and Winston was asking why Peter hadn't told HIM?

"Where and why would Peter have contact with a guy who was stalking him?" Egon asked "It doesn't add up."

Ray's hands were clenched so tight, his nails were slicing the palms of his hands. He pushed up from the table now as his anger hit its peak, glaring at the both of them "Because he knew I'd understand, that's why! You're smart Egon, work it out already!"

The room spun and he stumbled back, talking through the pain in his head. Would he ever see Peter again?!

"Im-gonna-hurl." he squeaked, the emotional surge was too much for his stomach and thus he bolted for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

"….OH." Egon said as the penny dropped.

"Ah." Winston said, following quickly behind him. "Ray's in love with Peter- wait- What?" he stared at Egon, hands raised in a 'help me out here' gesture.

"It makes perfect sense." Egon caught his eye, expression one of understanding and curiosity "I understand now. Peter's shifts in mood, from coming home drunk to seeming so upbeat. Whatever bond he and Ray forged, it's been making him better..."

"Then all that business with going out drinking-?"

"Yes, I think his secrecy revolved around that club for a reason. This 'Ivan' must have been an intimate acquaintance."

"I think my mind just exploded." Winston said, "Never suspected that Peter might be gay- wait, what am I saying? That guy is a constant parade of surprises!"

A hiccup from the doorway announced Ray's return. He looked pale as death and on the verge of collapse, so Winston steered him over to a couch, telling Egon to make some very sweet tea.

"How're we gonna find him?" Ray sniffled and Winston wished he knew what to say to comfort him, the guy looked utterly heartbroken. He'd clearly developed a very personal relationship with Peter and the events of the day were too much for him to handle.

"Old saying in the marines, Ray; No man left behind. We'll find Peter, one way or another. Tell us everything else you can think of, even the smallest detail..."

Alessa appeared as Ray wracked his brains, looking around her in puzzlement before glancing at Egon.

"Young sir, where is the one who courts your affections?"

"My wha- oh, you mean Eugene?" Egon blinked, wondering why she was asking "He's back at his father's place, why?"

"Because I am sensing a signal, but it does not tie back to you. The originator of it is not here..."

Egon stared at her, then his eyes widened as what she was saying sunk in. Was it possible there'd been a second signal? With the revelation that Peter and Ray were a thing still fresh in his mind, it was the most logical solution. He glanced at Winston, seeing the same expression on his face.

"Peter!" They said in unison and Ray looked up, staring at Alessa. He'd forgotten about what'd drawn her here, assumed she'd honed in on Eugene and Egon's love...

"The Guardian? Yes, I believe so. Somehow the signal was more hidden then that of yours and your fellow."

"So Peter was up to the old horizontal hello that night too?" Winston asked incredulously "wait a second, so then-"

Ray seen they were all looking at him now and slid down on the couch with a whimper as his face reddened. Winston raised an eyebrow as if to say "well." and Alessa giggled into her hands, looking absurdly pleased by the idea.

"I deduce that is why he was so protective of you, mr Stantz." Alessa said kindly "perhaps he thought I was a threat to you? Somehow, he is expert enough to mask his emotions, I was unable to get a clear read on him. Perhaps that is why I could not detect the bond until now."

Ray slithered the rest of the way to the floor with a squeak. Egon came over with a cup of tea, kneeling down to set it in Ray's hands.

"Drink," he said as reassuringly as he could "you can't look for Venkman without something to fuel you. We'll find him, but we need to stop and think this through; if we have one shot, I'm gonna make sure it's on target."

Ray took a few steady sips under Spengler's watchful eye, the genius' words stilling his panic for a moment. Meeting Egon's gaze, he seen the normally introverted genius was being as sympathetic as he could and it made Ray feel better. Winston came over to join them, so both of his friends were crouched either side of him, looking worried but hopeful.

"Ok, tell us what you know about this Ivan guy. Was he a fling Peter had?" Winston said, following Egon's lead.

"Kind of...he said it was just supposed to be a no strings attached kind of thing. But Ivan, the guy was an asshole, he was..." Ray choked off, recalling Peter's self-disgust when he realised he'd been tricked.

"Was what, Ray?" Winston asked, imagining a myriad of answers to his question.

"Was he hurting Peter?' Egon asked and Ray flinched subtly but nodded.

"K-kind of...Peter said it felt like he was being used, that the guy seen him a mere conquest. Then I seen the marks on him."

"I'm sorry to ask this my man, but was this scumbag physically abusing him?" Winston was shocked, but he knew even the most talented of people could be outfoxed. This guy must have wormed his way into Peter's mind, bypassing his normally whip-fast judgement and then started laying traps.

"O-only recently, he was getting aggressive when it came to….uhm…" Ray tailed off, feeling awkward about saying all this, but if it meant saving Peter…

"How did the two of you start?" Egon asked Ray now, to spare him the guilt of spilling all this.

Ray took another swig of the tea, sniffling "I was on my way back from my shop one night when I stumbled on them. I tried to slip away, but Peter spotted me. He was really angry at first and I wanted to tell him…y'know.."

"That you weren't going to laugh?" Winston finished and Ray nodded.

"Yeah, b-but I was too worried he'd think I was making it up just to get him off my back. The longer I left it unsaid, the more a part of me wondered why he still seemed unhappy? Eventually he caught me off guard, realised why I was avoiding him. I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone and how could I when I was the same as he was?" he felt himself flush as he mumbled into his tea "tha's when 'e kissed meh."

Silence reigned for a moment, save for the beep and hum of Egon's machines.

"Man, Ray….why didn't you ever tell us?" Winston asked at last, setting a hand on Ray's shoulder "you know we wouldn't have laughed.."

Ray sighed dolefully, remembering the scolding he'd gotten from Peter when he'd learned about it.

"Because a long time ago, I used a type of mediative technique to all but section that part of my mind off-"

"You did what?!" Egon looked aghast, glasses slipping down a fraction. Winston glanced from one to the other, expression asking 'is this bad?'

"That's what Peter said," Ray snuffled, "he was worried I was hurting myself."

Egon put his mind to work and took a stab at the rest of the story "I'm guessing Peter started growing attached to you, and thus further from this Ivan guy."

"Did Peter dump that guy's sorry ass?" Winston caught up to Egon, studying Ray's tense posture.

Ray nodded in response to both statements, rubbing his eyes.

"I thought it was over after Peter called off the whole thing with that guy, h-he seemed so much happier. Peter's not as bad as he acts; he told me he'd convinced himself that people weren't worth trusting, that all he wanted was just….sex. But the more I talked to him, the more he seemed to hesitate. I knew it wasn't my business, but I couldn't just leave him to suffer alone like that and before I knew it...we.."

Silence rang for a moment as Ray closed his eyes, feeling sick with worry until finally Winston spoke;

"Man, Pete better know how lucky he is."

Ray blinked, looking up at Winston as he squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm serious, man. You're the nicest guy on the planet and honestly, I think Peter needed someone to be brave enough to challenge him. I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Egon; it might not be my bag, but better spreading love than hate, right? Pete may be a world-class psychologist, but even the best can be fooled."

"I don't know where they'd take him, I doubt it's the club, he must know we'd be able to find it.." Ray sighed "I don't know anything else about that creep. I just wanted Peter to feel better and not have to keep reliving it."

Alessa had been silent this whole time, closing her eyes and seemingly meditating or sleeping. She opened them now, looking over at Ray.

"Young sir, if you will trust me to pilot your body, I might be able to follow the thread that ties you two. But I'd need more energy then this form holds to do such a thing-"

"Do it!" Ray gasped, pushing himself to his feet and nearly falling over, fresh tears welling up in exhausted eyes "they're going to start some crazy-ass ritual, and somehow I doubt Peter is intended to survive it!"

Egon looked like he wanted to protest, he had observed Stantz was still under the sedatives minor influence- but one look at Ray's face silenced him. He knew that if it was Eugene in this position, he'd be just as driven…

Alessa approached him now and Ray squeaked as he felt his consciousness being nudged into the back seat so to speak.

The two other Ghostbusters watched in mild concern as Ray flapped his arms about a moment, then seemed to regain his momentum.

"This feels weird." Ray said, his voice layered slightly by Alessa's female tones.

"You're in a dude, of course it's gonna feel weird. Just try not to need to pee, because I am NOT explaining that one." Winston said.

"Winston!" Ray objected, then chuckled as Alessa caught up.

"Save the jokes for later, let's go!" Egon grabbed a portable unit, dumping as much data onto it as he could. He was cross-referencing it even as he got into the car, the screens light gleaming off his glasses.

Ray sat opposite him, looking about to throw up. Egon observed him for a moment then shuffled so he was sat next to him, propping him up.

"Whatta ya doing 'gon?" Ray mumbled, his throat still sore from all the shouting and panicking.

"Sitting here because you look like you could use some support. Also, if you're going to throw up, I would like it not to be on my laptop."

Ray giggled brokenly, this was rather funny for some reason.

"Anything, Alessa?" Winston called back. Ray shut his eyes, focusing on the link again. Inside his head, he could feel Alessa probing his memories, joining his feelings for Peter to the signal she'd picked up on. It was stronger, but not by much.

'I don't know.." She borrowed Ray's voice again, shaking her head "it IS closer, but still far from us."

"I'll keep going this way, just keep trying." Winston assured him. "If he's out there, you two will find him."

Egon stared intently at his data, feeling his frustration building-

That was it! He hunched forward, typing even faster as he realised what he was looking at. The aggression of those ghosts! If someone was conducting a ritual, it would explain the rise in PKE. He quickly piled it into a scatter graph, blinking at the spot where it was biggest.

"Winston, head for the outer boroughs!" he yelled. Winston hit the gas, putting the car into overdrive. As they sped along, a glimmer of hope returned to Ray's eyes.

"It's...I can sense him! It's getting stronger!" he choked out, his and Alessa's voices overlapping. They parked the car as close as Egon's data could pinpoint and Ray took off out of the vehicle, slipping into the shadows, followed closely by Egon and Winston. Ray's heart beat painfully fast as if it was about to break apart, Peter was so close….

While this was unfolding back at HQ, Peter woke to find himself tied to a chair.

"What the?!" he coughed groggily, trying to wriggle free, but the ropes were too tight.

"Stop struggling!" a voice barked and someone blindsided him with a hard slap, making his head spin. Forcing himself to pay attention, Peter seen he was in a dimly-lit room and that there were torches spaced in a circle around him. A glance down at the floor revealed carvings in it, freshly made enough that curls of wood still clung to the grooves and furrows.

"Where am I?" Peter said, voice rising in desperation "answer me, you cowards!"

"Why, you're in my domain, dear Doctor." a voice said as he heard footsteps behind him.

Peter shook his head, stomach churning as his vision focused on a familiar face.

"Ivan?" he said in shock "what are you doing?! Let me out of here!"

"I'm afraid I cant do that, Doctor." Ivan smirked, stepping forward to brush his fingers over the bruise forming on the side of Peter's head from the earlier blow.

Peter snarled at him now, calling him something crass and with enough venom that it made Ivan almost feel bad for what was going to happen to this man. He'd miss him…

"I wasn't lying when I said you were unique, Venkman." he said smarmily "I was tasked with getting information on you, to find out just who you were."

"I'll tell you who I am, I'm pissed off, I'm sick of this crap and I'm going to kick your ass!" Peter snapped.

"Oh no, dear Doctor. You're so much more, but you don't even know it. The leader was right, you really don't have any memory of who you truly are."

Seeing Peter looking shocked and confused he elaborated "some time ago, a very powerful wizard made a deal with a demon. He wished to become a demon himself and at first it was enough, but soon he desired more, knew he was capable of BEING more. But in order to satisfy his urge for power, the demon told him the sacrifice of an innocent soul would be necessary to boost the spells bond. The subject would absorb the power and the father would just have to sacrifice them to the demon and that power would be passed onto him, with the subject's soul as payment. So he chose his only son, keeping this hidden from the boy's mother.

He drugged you and the demon he had bargained with set the first seeds of power in place within you. Day after day he watched you, seeing if it was adapting to you, but you proved an ideal host. Sadly, he let his former feelings for your mother blind him and on the night of the ceremony, your mother was able to disrupt the proceedings with a group of outsiders, severing the connection between you and the still-growing power. She fled with you and disappeared so thoroughly that we had given up hope until suddenly a TV commercial began airing for the Ghostbusters."

He laughed, shrugging "who knows, if you and your buddies hadn't chosen to be so brilliant, you might have escaped and led a normal life with them. But by attracting such fame, your face was seen all over the world and our leader seen you, recognised the one who had been lost so long ago."

"You're so full of crap." Peter laughed "I'm not buying this! Wizards, don't make me laugh!"

"Wizardry existing in the modern age, is it really so far fetched? You hunt ghosts and demons do you not? You've seen what they can do. Didn't you ever wonder, doctor?" Ivan asked, coolly regarding his former lover "why you could take such abuse without sustaining as severe injuries as your friends might? Why some ghosts were willing to bargain with you?"

The nuggets of truth in his words made Peter hesitate a moment before disbelief reared again and he shook his head.

"You think I have some sort of magic? You're not just hitting rock bottom, are you?" Peter laughed sharply "you've hit bottom and started digging for China!"

"Wether you realise it or not, you emit a very fine frequency and only the more powerful, coherent spirits would even be able to read it. During one of your trips to see me, I laced your drink with a special component to help boost the signal."

Realisation hit Peter like another slap "the whiskey-? No wonder it made me sick!"

"Yes, an unfortunate side effect, I'm afraid. But it was a success; more ghosts were drawn to you, weren't they?"

"They tried to KILL me, you ass!" Peter snarled, realising the GBA ghost and the shards of glass ghost were all stemmed from that concoction. "You set them up, didn't you?"

"Yes, it was a little close, but you survived as I knew you would. It all came together to prove our hypothesis, that you were the long lost key."

Peter couldn't say anything, his head was spinning.

"The fact remains, Doctor, you're the key. You see, you essentially became part demon, that night in your childhood. The power that'd been given by the demon was irreversibly fused with you, giving you an edge most humans would have to work a lifetime for. Not to mention quite an appetite." He let his gaze slide lecherously over Peter, recalling those nights together. Peter felt close to throwing up, it couldn't be..?

"With your memory hidden from you, it went un-utilised all these years. It's still within you, still dormant, capable of finishing what our great leader started. All it needs is a little jump-start and once your power is at its peak, he will return to finally claim it from you."

"Who the hell are you talking about?!' Peter yelled, but Ivan's next words silenced him.

"Weren't you listening? Your father, doctor."

Peter could barely hear over the sound of his pulse pounding in his ears . This wasn't a joke, was it? His father was alive and a demon to boot. Was he himself not even...human?

The world began to unravel and Ivan smirked as he seen Peter's fragile ego crack under the weight of the truth.

"It seems only fair you know this for what little time you have left."

"You staged all this?" Peter whispered.

"Indeed. Once your power is at full peak, you wont remember who "Venkman" is-"

"My name is PETER, you asshole!" Peter spat. Ivan snarled in anger and stepped up, hitting Peter hard enough to cut his lip, blood spilling onto his shirt. Peter coughed and gagged as Ivan gripped his chin, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"You are a fascinating thing, PETER." He placed a mocking emphasis on his name, letting his hand grope Peter's thigh as the doctor squirmed in disgust. "but your attitude could really use some adjustment."

Peter shuddered in revulsion as Ivan forcefully kissed him, pushing the kiss deeper even as Peter uttered a disgusted sound.

"Why go to all this trouble?" Peter said as Ivan let him go, stepping back to begin the ritual. Others in hooded cloaks stepped into view, with faces hidden by shadow, yet Peter knew their eyes were all on him. Bile rose in his throat and he swallowed it down as he demanded one final answer "why not just kidnap me from the start?"

"Why? Two reasons. One; I had to make sure I had the right target and conduct the tests and two; because I was bored and needed someone to screw. I figured I'd have some fun with you after finding out about your preference for unattached sex. I decided I would make your final weeks fun, before this was all set in motion."

Something in Peter broke then. He didn't know if he was even human, his life had been a careful fabrication that was now on the verge of ending and what he'd once thought proved he was something desirable had been nothing but a lie. Ivan hadn't used him because he was a celebrity, he'd done it because he'd merely wanted someone to screw at the end of the day. He felt a shudder run across his skin, his traumatised mind declaring he never wanted to be touched AGAIN-

"It's really too bad you inherited your mothers personality, you could've been something great alongside your father. But as you proved that day you left my office, your heart is simply too weak."

Strange, discordant chanting arose from everyone surrounding him, including Ivan.

The lines on the floor beneath the chair began to glow and Peter stared at them in fear, something was coming, he could feel it.

"You see, doctor?" Ivan mocked "this was inevitable. You'll finally fulfil your true purpose!"

The markings grew even brighter and Ivan smiled coldly as Peter screamed in pain, sparks of red lightning moving up his body. He let the desperate pleas for it to stop to fade into the sound of the chanting as the air itself seemed to fizzle with electricity.

That was when the door came flying off its hinges, striking Ivan in the back of the head.

Egon frowned as Ray suddenly doubled over in agony, clutching his chest and crying out.

"Ray? Alessa?" Winston helped him stand, seeing Ray's eyes full of tears.

"The pain, it's s-so bad- something's trying to tear him apart-!" Ray took off running, heading towards a burnt-out building ahead. But as they got closer, they realised it was only designed to look that way and the door was in fact heavily fortified.

"Wait, let me use thermals." Egon slipped his goggles down, switching to IR mode. He could see through a haze of distortion that there was a circle of people surrounding a bound figure in a chair.

"He's in there, and there's people surrounding him. We must act NOW." Egon whispered "move back, I'm going to set a low-yield grenade. Once it goes off, we hit hard."

Ray could feel Alessa's calming influence against his raging mind. He wanted to rip them apart for laying one hand on Peter-

The grenade detonated, the door sent sailing inwards and all of them dove for the smoke that spilled out…

"What?" Ivan pushed the door off him, scrambling up as his ears rang. Around him the others were reeling, their link broken. The smoke billowing in the door cleared and a man with black short-cropped hair appeared from the smoke. Ivan had just enough time to see the no-ghost logo on his uniform before Ray punched him so hard he'd later have to have his jaw rewired.

"Surprise, motherf*kers!" Winston yelled, putting his marine training to good use and launching a flurry of strikes against the other robed figures wile Egon darted straight for Peter, brandishing a knife. He sliced efficiently through the ropes binding Peter's wrists, pulling the mute, shocked man to the floor with him as a bolt of proton energy whizzed overhead. Peter was hovering between consciousness and collapse, he barely seemed aware of what was going on. As Egon watched, he passed out, body going limp and breathing slowing a fraction.

A glance told him Peter's struggles had caused the ropes to bite deeply into his wrists, blood spilling over his fingers. A shriek from above him pointed out that ghosts were coming out of the woodwork now, drawn by the power bleeding off from the disrupted ceremony. Recalling what Peter had said when that ghost had been trying to impale him on glass, Egon awkwardly gripped his blaster with one hand and aimed it at the inner circle of the giant symbol.

"NO!" one of the cultists screamed as they seen what Egon was about to do. Egon glanced up at them, eyes meeting through the maelstrom of chaos, the Ghostbuster's eyes burning with barely concealed hatred as he protectively cradled his friends body in one arm. Then he pulled the trigger, proton stream smashing into the floor, breaking the circle and throwing everything to the wind.

Ray seen what Egon was doing, seen Spengler shielding Peter- he turned the gun to maximum and began razing the symbol to shreds, tearing up the floor as the robed cultists ran, screaming in terror (those that weren't rendered unconscious, anyway.)

Winston threw multiple traps down, catching the swarming ghosts and finally silencing the room. Ray ran over to where Egon was cradling an unconscious Peter against his chest, checking his pulse.

"Is he-?" Ray asked, barely able to breathe- he seen the blood around Peter's wrists and felt about to be sick.

"His pulse is erratic, but he's breathing. We need to get him to a hospital right away."

Ray nodded, hoping Peter would be alright…

Winston tied up the goons he'd knocked out, including Ivan. He told the other two to scram as he called the police, saying he'd take care of this.

Alessa separated from Ray's body as Egon got behind the wheel, joining Ray and Peter in the back. Stantz set Venkman atop the row of seats, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around his lover.

Peter flinched and uttered a pained whimper. Ray closed his eyes, clutching Peter's hand tightly as relief hit hard. They'd found him...but had they been in time?

"I'm so sorry Peter, I couldn't stop them.." he whispered faintly.

"It was not your fault, young sir." Alessa whispered softly as they sped through the streets "you could not have known, they kept their intent very secret."

"What if he...what if.." Ray was too frightened to say what scared him the most, what if he never recovered? Never woke up?

They pulled into AE for the third time in as many days, Ray lifting Peter in his arms, the cold night air stinging his eyes and making it hard to see as he ran for the nearest paramedic, Egon alongside. Alessa had decided to stay with the car, she knew this was a personal matter for one of the two bonds that'd drawn her to the Ghostbusters.

Thus she concealed herself as the two humans went with their injured friend into the hospital.

Egon was awake, clutching his laptop to his chest and staring into space, when Winston arrived.

"They're all in custody, Egon, the cops will deal with 'em. Where's Ray?"

Egon nodded to a couch in the corner of the room where Ray was curled up in a frightened ball, having fallen asleep from exhaustion.

"Poor guy." Winston shook his head "he's had a rough night, him and Pete both."

"That pain he sensed...what did they DO to him, Winston?" Egon asked "To Venkman?"

"I don't know." Winston whispered "but if anyone can help him, it's Ray. He really does love him, doesn't he?"

Egon nodded, it'd been evident in every word Ray had spoken, every frantic movement.

The Doctor arrived ten minutes later, Ray snapping awake and scrambling to his feet to hear the verdict.

"Well, I have good and bad news. The good news is; there's no severe physical injury apart from the cuts from the restraints and some minor bruising."

"The bad news?" Ray asked hollowly.

"He appears to have sustained some serious mental side effects. He woke up as we were examining him and lashed out, becoming desperate to escape and refusing to let any of the staff touch him. Some of the equipment nearby shorted out and this made him stop long enough for us to restrain and sedate him. I don't know what happened to him, but I am recommending a period of rest once he's discharged, as well as a psychiatrist."

The three nodded, absorbing this news and Ray asked if they could see him? The doctor agreed, seeng how desperately worried these three looked. He was concerned the one named "Stantz" was going to collapse on his feet, he looked so pale, but he ushered them along the hall to the private room Venkman had been moved to. He left them there, telling them to call the nurse if anything happened.

Egon and Winston hung back a moment while Ray collapsed in the chair by Peter's bed, studying his friend with worried eyes. Peter looked like a fragile doll, bandages wrapped around his wrists, hooked up to an ECG, soft strands of hair fanned across the pillow as he slept. The soft beeping filled the room and Ray didn't know what else to say…he just clasped Peter's hand in his and hoped.

"Oh man...no punishment those cops can dish out will be enough to make up for this." Winston swore darkly.

"We'll catch them, if theres any damage, we'll reverse it." Egon said firmly, gripping his laptop tightly in his arms "but for now, all we can do for him is find out what occurred and help him work through it."

At that moment, Peter stirred…

He drifted awake, feeling warm and safe. Softness surrounded his body, his pain was a mere flicker of its former self. He felt the heat of another persons hand curled around his and those desperate, shattered thoughts from when Ivan had revealed how little he'd been worth to him came rushing back. He didn't want anyone to touch him, couldn't bear it- He marshalled his body's pathetic reserves of strength and tore his hand free with a cry-

Egon and Winston, who'd been standing with their backs partially turned to give Ray some privacy, spun round now as they heard Peter's hoarse, torn voice gasp;

"No-! get your hands off me!"

"Peter?" Ray felt a jolt of shock as he staggered up from the seat, holding his hands up in a reassuring gesture as Peter withdrew, hunching up as tightly as he could against the headboard and closing his eyes, attempting to shield himself from his imagined foe.

"Peter, please…it's me, Ray." The voice did sound familiar and when no further contact came, Peter hesitantly opened his eyes and looked at the man stood by his bedside.

Ray, HIS Ray. He could see tears in his eyes, see how tired the man looked. Yet, there was a look of such kindness that for a moment he faltered, but the wound was just too raw; he shut his eyes and turned his head away. He didn't want to put Ray through any more, once he learned the truth about what Peter was, he wouldn't be so willing to embrace him, would he? He wrapped his arms around his knees and let his forehead rest atop the blankets covering him.

"Peter?" Ray asked, voice cracking slightly as Peter shut him out.

"Pete, it's us. You're in the hospital, you're safe." Winston gave it a shot, but Peter didn't budge, his grip only tightened around his knees.

"Get out." he whispered hoarsely, his voice just about audible.

"Peter," Egon tried now, "The ringleaders have been arrested, they wont be coming near you again. If they did something, you need to tell us-"

"I said get out!" Peter yelled, digging his nails into his upper arms and feeling his head pound painfully. Above him, the lights flickered and the ECG began to pick up slightly.

"Peter..." Ray said weakly, what was he supposed to do?

"For your own sake Ray, keep away from me! You don't want to know what I truly am, so just LEAVE!"

There was a loud shrill beep as the ECG began to overload, then the lights cut out and there was a ricochet of startled yelps as the lights cut out further down.

Egon stared, this was weird. In the dim light provided by the still-functioning equipment monitoring Peter, he could see how terrified Venkman was by his posture. His body as rigid as a board, hands gripping his knees so tightly that it had to hurt. His eyes were tightly closed and what little light the ECG threw out highlighted tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

Peter kept his eyes shut, starting to hyperventilate as fear dug its claws into him. He had to keep them away from him-

The door was flung open and a nurse ran in, her eyes taking in the dimly-lit scene. She seen how agitated the patient was and pressed the bell for assistance. He was suffering a panic attack and she would require assistance in order to administer a sedative. She told the other three they'd have to leave.

"But-" Ray began and was stopped by a firm look.

"He's in a fragile state and I cant have the patient being under any pressure right now. You'll have to give it some time."

Ray nodded, managing to somehow keep his emotions in check as they left the busy corridor.

"What just happened in there?" Winston asked as they made the decision to drive home, there wasn't much they could do for now and they were all tired. They'd all need to give statements to the cops soon as it was.

Egon shook his head "it would appear that he dislikes close contact, no doubt due to whatever trials he endured at the hands of those creeps."

He flashed back to seeing the trace of tears in Peter's eyes as he'd tried to barricade himself inside.

-All these years, I've never seen Peter be hit this hard.—

Ray couldn't say a word, he didn't have the capacity to. All he could do was replay how terrified Venkman had looked, how Ray hadn't been able to comfort him.

He remained numb until the got back to HQ, at which point he crawled up to the attic and fell asleep atop the same mattress he and Peter had first made love atop. In the middle of the night he woke, unable to stop himself from breaking down out of sympathy and his own experience of the night.

Even Janine was subdued after finding out what'd happened when she arrived at work the next day.

On hearing the short version of the story; Peter x Ray, Peter's subsequent kidnapping and his violent response to contact- she genuinely felt bad for him. It was obvious from Ray's behaviour that he was barely finding the will to get up and eat as the day passed. She observed him drifting aimlessly, several times tripping over things or smacking into door frames, tables and the edge of the desk. When she drew his attention to the fact he was going to hurt himself, Ray just blinked at her, then drifted away again.

The other two had to insist he eat dinner, as Ray didn't seem inclined to tend to himself that first day. He even went into Peter's office, reading through the man's psychology books as if hoping they held a solution.

-There has to be a way to help him..- Ray thought tearfully as he tried to read one of Peter's reference books on neuropsychology, but it was all nonsense to him. He was so tired, but he couldn't give up...

Winston came across Egon STILL in his lab two days later, it was as if the guy barely moved and the shadow of facial hair only proved it.

"Egon, go to bed."

"No."

"Well, I tried. Fine then, what are you doing?"

"Going over the readings my laptop picked up when we were in Peter's room. It took me awhile to recover it, the pulse scrambled the data."

"Pulse?" Winston asked, staring at the mass of writing on the board.

"Yes," Egon turned to face him now, expression serious "the pulse that caused the lights to blow. At first I thought it merely a stray power surge, but the data recovered from my laptop shows PKE traces."

"You're saying a ghost was in there?" Winston frowned, but Egon shook his head.

"No, further investigation revealed that its signature shares similarities with brain wave scans I took from Peter awhile back. When he became agitated, these spikes here-" he tapped he printouts tacked to the board "that was the precursor."

"And these?" Winston pointed to the bigger readings.

"That is when the lights shorted out. It was localised, mainly to Peter's room. Whatever happened to him in the hands of those creeps, it's had some side effects. It's feeding or being driven by his fear."

They both fell silent a moment, then they heard Ray clear his throat. Turning, they seen Stantz standing in the doorway, clutching a duffel bag. He'd been forcing himself to attend the busts with the others, but every spare minute he had, he spent at the hospital. Sometimes he just slept in a chair by Peter's bed, he was often too exhausted to do much else. The nurses were kind to him, realised he was worried about his best friends health and brought blankets and endless cups of tea to him.

"Go on," Winston gave Ray a faint smile "I'll drop by later."

Ray nodded gratefully, darting silently away down the hall. Egon nudged his glasses up his nose and sighed.

"I know Ray's in a lot of pain, Peter too, but we're going to need to catch up on our workload before Peck starts harassing us again."

"Yeah, I really don't wanna deal with that guy." Winston grumbled.

Egon tapped his pen against his chin a moment, then had an idea.

"You're a good judge of physical character, do you think Eugene could help?"

Winston thought a moment, then nodded. It was a start…he watched as Egon ran to the phone to call his friend right away and see if he could make the trip over that day.

When Winston left to go pick up Ray, Egon was starting to tutor Eugene in how to handle a proton pack.

Winston headed to the hospital, gave his name and was directed to the room Peter was in. When he entered the room, shutting the door behind him, he took in the scene before him.

Ray was fast asleep, his upper body resting on the edge of the bed, head buried in his arms. Peter was sat up in bed, arms wrapped around his knees again. But he wasn't staring into space, he was watching Ray, his expression unreadable.

"Hey, Pete. You know it doesn't count as a staring contest if the other party is asleep, right?"

Peter blinked, glancing briefly at Winston before returning his gaze to Ray. For several long seconds he didn't say a word, then he asked.

"Why does he stay?"

Winston took a moment to answer it, then went for the truth;

"Because he cares about you, Peter. He's not going to give up on you, no matter how hard you try."

"He should." Peter said coldly. Winston frowned, he had to get to the bottom of this sudden rejection.

"And why's that?" he challenged. Peter's near emotionless gaze snapped to him now, his grip on the covers tightening.

"The less you know, the better." Peter said bluntly "enough has been torn apart, it stops here. It stops with ME. Get him home, Winston, he'll hurt himself sleeping like that."

-This is bad, Peter's never been this cold. What is he hiding, and what is he on about?- but he nodded, moving to gently shake Ray's shoulder.

Ray sat up, blurting Peter's name before his sleepy eyes settled on the subject of his affections. Peter's haunted, frightened gaze met his and for a moment Ray seen an intense longing there, then it was gone again and Peter's gaze dropped back to the covers.

"I…I'll see you tomorrow.?" Ray said shakily. Peter glanced at him, then finally made a small noise of assent. Winston felt a little relieved, obviously part of Peter's mind wanted to overcome this.

-You can do it, Pete. He's waiting for you.-

Alone again, Peter let his forehead come to rest on his knees, vision blurring as he dropped the facade. His head felt about to burst and right on cue, he heard the ECG beep erratically. He took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing himself to breathe. He couldn't drop his guard, he'd cause too much destruction…

The noises stopped and he sighed shakily. It was at bay for now.

Ray drifted asleep in the car on the ride home, woke up briefly as he was steered inside, then ambled to the couch behind Janine's desk and passed out once more.

"Wow, he's taking this hard, isn't he?" Janine murmured as Winston came to stand by the desk. He nodded silently.

"Poor boy." Janine sighed "and dr Venkman too. Any news?"

"He's still in some sort of shock," Winston said with a shake of his head "he's barely there, Janine. Normally I'd have gotten him to at LEAST flip me the bird by halfway through the brief conversation we had, but he didn't even blink. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was trying to drive us away because somethings gotten into his head."

"Those weirdos that kidnapped him, you think they brainwashed him?" Janine asked.

"I don't know, he isn't spouting any particular nonsense. He's still the same guy, but it's as if sections of his personality are sealed off and to be honest, I think it's his own doing."

Janine shook her head, she'd mercilessly teased Venkman and butted heads with him more then she could count; but beneath her veneer of frustration, she cared for all the fellas. Seeing Venkman go from the boisterous outgoing pan-in-the-ass she knew to this apparently shellshocked dilution was worrying to say the least.

"How's our trainee doing?" Winston asked.

"So far, so good. He's only set fire to the curtains once. The guy's pretty strong, so the kickback isn't bothering him so much, according to Egon anyway."

Winston went downstairs to where the containment vault sat, but stopped at the top of the stairs leading down as he seen Egon and Eugene were sharing a moment. Their voices drifted up to him, and Egon sounded worried.

"He's never been this miserable, not in all the years I've known hm." Egon shook his head "I've seen him take just about everything in stride, but this has really affected him."

"Well, the guy who took him, you said he was manipulating Venkman's feelings, right? That's the most vulnerable part of ourselves. It's why finding out someone's cheating on you is always heartbreaking, I seen it all throughout high school. Add in this creep was doing all this just to try kill him in the end and I don't blame Peter for being shit-scared of trusting anyone right now."

"Ray too, it's taking everything out of him. They're like ghosts, Eugene."

Eugene kissed Egon's forehead and stroked his hair softly. He'd been alarmed when he'd gotten Egon's phone call just a couple of hours ago and he'd driven over straight away…

There'd been a somber mood hanging over the place and he noticed the absence of Venkman's personality right away, the whole place was oddly subdued. Egon had brought him down to the basement, where he'd told him a short version of Peter and Ray, which oddly hadn't surprised Eugene all that much, if anything it made sense.

"Explains why he wasn't fazed by us, ya know.." he'd remarked and Egon had nodded, the sense of camaraderie he'd gotten from Venkman made sense now too.

Then the genius doctor had gone on to explain what a bunch of cultists had done; kidnapping Peter and putting him through a ritual the man was still too shook up to talk about. The end request? With Peter having seemingly given up his job and Ray struggling to sleep due to worry, they needed extra help. Was he interested in training as a temporary Ghostbuster?

Eugene had nodded, he'd be happy to help! He felt bad for Venkman, by the sounds of it, he'd had his whole world torn into and eviscerated by the events. And dr Stantz too, the fact he cared so much for Peter couldn't be making this easy…

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Eugene asked now as he scooped up and set Egon atop the table in the corner of the room. Egon leant against his chest, uttering a sleepy sigh as he relished in the comfort of bodily contact.

"I don't know." Egon said softly "He's been lashing out, according to Ray. I wish there was more I could do, Eugene. But nothing in my data says how to fix someone's trauma. I cant stand to be useless."

"Eeg, listen to me; you are not useless." Eugene titled the doctor's chin up, softly kissing him on the lips "he'll work it out in his own time and you guys'll be there when he does."

Egon nodded, but he still seemed downhearted. Looking up, he seen Winston keeping a respectful distance and nodded at him to approach. Eugene looked round as the other Ghostbuster came over to join them, stepping back but staying close to Eeg even so.

"How's it going?" Winston asked Eugene, who grinned sheepishly and deferred to Egon.

"Well, he's got good aim," Egon said, consulting the clipboard he'd been writing on "for a first time handling a proton pack, he's doing pretty well."

"Sweet! You guys have the coolest kit, I'm jealous." Eugene grinned at Egon, who gave him a reserved, gentle smile in return.

"Just remember Peter's motto; "if at first you don't succeeded, hide all the evidence.""

Eugene chuckled "the version I had was "If at first you DO succeeded, try not to look too astonished.""

They went upstairs to have some food, where they found Ray slumped at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

He greeted Eugene with a tired smile, but he didn't seem as enthusiastic as he used to be.

"How's he doing?" Eugene sat across from Ray, while Egon and Winston raided the freezer for things to cook.

"Still jumpy. I don't know what they did, but he's scared.." Ray whispered and Eugene nodded. He knew the last thing Ray needed was more platitudes, so he just offered a supportive smile that Ray weakly returned.

The next day, Ray was just on his way towards the front door when it opened and an intimately familiar figure stepped in. Ray's stomach flopped nervously, how-?

"Peter?" he asked anxiously and Janine glanced up sharply, staring as the door shut behind none other then Peter Venkman. But there was something off about him; the way he stood, the way he barely seemed to respond. He put her in mind of a mannequin, expressionless and blank.

"H-how-?" Ray began, but Peter stopped him short.

"I discharged myself, I didn't want to be in the hospital." Peter said, making to stride past Ray. Panicked, Ray reached out, his hand brushing Peter's.

Peter tensed up, the colour draining from his face as he pulled his hand away, putting some space between them.

"Don't-" he said sharply, his voice full of so much tension that it cracked like glass. Ray flinched and Janine seen a look of guilt flash over Peter's face. The phone beeped sharply, then went silent.

-What in the heck?- she wondered, briefly distracted.

"Ray.." Peter whispered, feeling close to cracking under the silence he'd imposed on himself, the embargo on the affection he craved "I'm sorry."

"I know." Ray whispered, somehow keeping his grief and worry suppressed so he could be strong for the man who needed it most "I'm not leaving, remember that."

Then he walked past Peter, heading to the containment unit on autopilot. Peter felt about to pass out as he heard Ray's steps echo down the staircase, why had he come HERE? Because he didn't want to stay at his apartment where the empty space left too much room for his thoughts, too big for one person? Or because he wanted-

He shook his head, jogging up the stairs as he crushed the thoughts down again. He decided to cut through the kitchen, but his head was ringing so heavily that he didn't see that anyone was even in there until he nearly ran into Eugene.

"Whoa!' the guy looked startled, hands raising instinctively to stop Peter before he fell. Peter stepped back sharply, even as his legs nearly buckled under him.

Remembering what Egon had said about Peter reacting badly to contact, Eugene quickly stepped back so he wasn't obstructing him. Egon and Winston looked as surprised as Eugene felt, as they regarded their returning teammate.

-Peter? How are you here, you're not ready to deal with this, are you?- Egon thought, studying his posture, his state of health and the way he seemed so distant.

Peter went tense as all eyes swivelled to him, his mind doing the math to determine just how to duck all three of them and escape-

"You sure you're ready to leave the hospital, my man?" Winston asked.

"I'm fine. They couldn't force me to stay, so I discharged myself." Peter said shortly, taking this chance and trying to slip by.

"Pete, hold up-" Winston said, lifting a hand to get his attention. Peter seen it in his peripheral vision and turned mid-step, barely flinching as his hip glanced off the countertop whilst keeping what he perceived as the threat in his line of sight.

"They couldn't stop me from legally discharging myself and neither can YOU, so just leave me be!" he snapped, shutting his eyes as his head pounded and he had to grab the counter for support. Right on cue, there was a surge in the power and the computer Egon was modifying sparked, forcing him to hurriedly shut the battery off. As he did, he seen flickers of red sparks, almost like lightning, crackle around Peter's hands as they clenched tightly back down at his sides.

—No no, stop!— Peter pleaded in his head, nausea rising as he seen the device spewing smoke.

While Eugene and Egon were eyeballing the still sparking laptop, Winston glanced over at Peter. Venkman's expression was one of guilt and panic, a hand pressed to his mouth and he edged slowly back until he eventually fled the room.

Janine came upstairs seconds after Venkman's escape, looking for Egon.

"Dr Spengler, can you look at the wiring in this place? That's the second time in the last ten minutes the powers gone all funny."

"I'll run some tests, Janine." Egon said at last "see if I can narrow it down."

Satisfied, she returned downstairs, but Egon had a feeling that the source of the problem wouldn't be so easy to fix.

Once he'd determined they weren't following him, Peter holed himself up in the attic. He let the comforting low-light of the single attic bulb blunt the exhaustion that weighed him down.

The doctors had been concerned when he'd insisted he be released, but like he'd said, they couldn't stop him. In the messenger bag slung over his shoulder were a change of bandages for the still-healing cuts on his wrists and ankles from his restraints. He hadn't realised until several days into his recovery, but the amount of wriggling and desperate thrashing he'd done in the grip of that nightmare pain had gouged quite deep into his skin.

Curling up atop the sheets on the mattress, he fancied they still held Ray's scent, not realising Ray had actually spent a night or two up here, dreaming of HIM. He thought about those blissful nights when they'd slept together and he longed for them now. But he didn't know what he was, not fully. Something was still wrong within him, what if he hurt Ray? He'd never forgive himself if he hurt someone so beautiful…

He drifted asleep after that, waking later on to find someone had gently draped a blanket over him. Set beside his bed was a familiar thermos full of Ray's special coffee…

"Ray..." he whispered, feeling the defences crack as days of suppressed emotion surged to the fore. For awhile the only sounds were his own, his grief, his fear…but eventually they petered out and he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, his ragged breathing the only sound.

At some point, he curled up under the blankets again and passed out, exhausted by the outburst.

Down below, during his crying jag, the power fluctuated wildly and Janine swore colourfully, but he was unaware of any of it.

Egon wondered where Peter had run off to and Ray said it was likely the attic. He sometimes retreated there at night to think…

"Why come here and not go to his apartment?" Janine asked as she zipped up her bag and prepared to head home.

"I don't know…" Ray shook his head "he said before he found the attic peaceful, maybe it just feels safer then an empty, echoing apartment?"

"Yeah, even if he won't fess up, he knows he's got us here." Winston and Egon shared nods and Ray managed a weak smile.

"Thanks, guys. I know this is all kinda weird and I'm probably biased, but-"

"Don't sweat it, Ray." Winston chuckled, passing him a mug of coffee.

"Indeed. There is no cause for concern; you always bring out people's better 'side', and it seems you have managed this same feat with Peter. I daresay you're the reason he didn't mercilessly annoy Eugene and myself?"

Ray turned a shade of pink and squeaked softly before nodding.

"Well, I know what he's like- and it didn't seem fair when we were-" he cleared his throat "anyway, yeah, I asked him to lay off."

"Im not even gonna ask how you managed that." Winston teased and Ray face-planted onto the table, squeaking again and hearing both his friends chuckle.

Sitting back up, he tried to calm himself down even though he knew he had to be red as a tomato. He thought back to that night he'd gone up there to bring coffee and he and Peter had wound up going to bed together. It'd been the most unexpectedly wonderful night of his life, one he wouldn't trade for the world.

As the other two observed Stantz, they noticed his attention span wander and a cute but dreamy grin slowly made its way across his face.

"Dude, your face." Winston said at last.

Ray facepalmed again as he realised what he'd been recalling.

"This. Is. Just. Adorable." Winston said softly to Egon, who smiled faintly and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I hate you guys." Ray whined, but inside he was grateful for the distraction. It took his mind of his fear he'd never see Venkman smile again...

Ray seemed to develop a sixth sense for when Peter was asleep or away from the attic as the days passed. Whenever Peter drifted awake or left his hideout in the attic to eat or wash, he'd find little things by the attic door on his return. Books, candy bars, more coffee.

He knew who they were from, a man with the biggest heart in all of New York.

—Ray..— He thought heavily. —I'm sorry..—

Egon and Winston tried in turns to coax him to talk or sit still for a scan, but Peter found himself unable to stand being around people he might potentially HURT and pushed them away as much as he could, thinking if they got mad enough the sympathy would stop. He shouted, swore, stormed off- and with the power surges that accompanied these outbursts, he was able to slip away while they were distracted. He knew they were trying to help, at a base level, but what hope did they have when even HE couldn't figure things out?

-Im supposed to be the shrink..- he thought as he fled back to the refuse and peace of the attic. At least here, he could unwind a little…

Watching as Peter raced away yet again, Egon sighed and shook his head. He knew he wasn't imagining things, there really was something in Peter's body language and eyes that said he WANTED help, that he wanted this to end; but something was stopping him from accepting what they offered.

"No luck?" Winston asked as he came across Egon standing in the hallway, staring intently into space. The genius shook his head, vision refocusing as he looked at Winston.

"The limited responses he gives indicates that whatever he's trying to keep hidden and suppressed, he believes it has the potential to put us ALL at risk."

"Even more reason why we need to find out what they did to him. Nobody should be dealing with this kind of thing alone."

Winston noticed Egon was staying up night after night, trying every method he knew to discover a way to help Peter. After the third day dawned, Winston went downstairs to the phone, he knew just who he needed to call.

"Visitor residence, who am I talking to?" It was the man himself.

"Hay, glad I caught ya. It's Winston."

"Hey man, what's up?"

"I need you to do me a favour." Winston tapped a pencil on the edge of the desk.

"Okay, sure. What is it?"

"Drive over here, grab Egon and distract him for a night. Don't care what it is, just get him out of HQ; he's still working and it's been three days. Seriously, the guy needs a break."

"He still looking for a way to help Peter?"

"Yeah, man. He hates not being able to solve everything and even though they fight non-stop, he cares about Pete. Heck, we all do."

"Yeah, the place feels odd without him, like it's missing something. How's Ray doing?"

"He's sleeping a little better, but you can see a mile off that he's unhappy."

"Alright, I'll be over asap. Dad's away for a couple of days on a fishing trip, so Eeg can stay here."

"Thanks man. I feel like I should make a crass euphemism/innuendo, but I'm not anywhere near as good as Pete."

Eugene chuckled "I'll let him know he's overdue a batch when he recovers." He promised before saying goodbye and putting the phone down.

Winston stretched as he set the phone down, hearing his back click. He seen Ray heading for the door, dressed in civilian clothing.

"Off out?" He asked and Ray nodded, but he wouldn't say anything or quite meet Winston's eye. Zeddemore frowned as Ray slunk away, now what was he doing? Peter was at the HQ so he couldn't be going to see him…

Eugene showed up not long after that and Winston motioned him to go straight up.

He soon seen exactly what Winston meant. Egon didn't seem to have moved much, he didn't even react when Eugene walked in, just stared at the numerous pages tacked to the chalkboard.

Eugene strode forward, planting himself between the chalk and the board just as Egon lifted his hand to write- only to jab a certain someone on the nose.

"Eugene?!" he blustered, frowning "what're you doing?"

"Making sure you take a break." Eugene said; and before Egon could ask what on earth he meant, Eugene moved swiftly forward, scooping Egon up and draping him casually over his shoulder.

"Eugene-! Put me down this instant!" Egon squirmed but Eugene was stronger than he was, and his firm but gentle grip around Egon's back and upper legs prevented Egon from wriggling loose. Eventually he realised he wasn't going to get free and complained at length about his work as Eugene strode easily down the stairs. He spotted Winston sat at Janine's desk and flapped his arms about to get his attention.

"Winston-! Help. I'm being interrupted."

"I know." Winston said without looking up, merely turning the page of his magazine "I called him."

"Wha?! Traitor!" Egon fumed, which made Eugene crack up laughing. Egon folded his arms and glowered as he was set on his feet by the passenger side car door. Eugene disarmed him in seconds by kissing him quickly and saying "please, Eeg?"

Those two words, combined with the kiss and Eugene's worried eyes swayed Egon's heart and he nodded.

Thus it was that Egon was half-kidnapped and half-willingly-absconded with (and by) Eugene.

He seemed silent as they drove and Eugene worried he was….wait, did Egon sulk?

"I cannot find an answer if I cannot work." Egon said pointedly, seeming to read Eugene's glance.

"I understand that, Eeg. I'd suck at sports if I didn't practise. But if I do nothing BUT practise, what's gonna happen? Burnout. That's what you're doing to that magnificent brain of yours. Hey, I wanna see doctor V back to annoying me about being head-over-heels in love with you too, Eeg, but you need to rest and if you're feeling frustrated, I can help."

Egon blushed, any remaining annoyance fading as Eugene brushed his hand along Egon's thigh as he hinted at the things he could do to him. His heart raced, it'd been awhile since they'd slept together. Between Peter's return and the usual workload, Egon had been kept very busy.

He asked where Eugene's dad was as they exited the car and walked into the house; Eugene smiled and repeated exactly what he'd told Winston.

"So we have the place ALL to ourselves." he said seductively, stopping and drawing Egon in for a kiss. Egon groaned deeply, his willpower fluctuating as Eugene lavished him with kiss after kiss…

His face was flushed and his pulse racing as they parted; he pressed against Eugene, feeling some of the strain ease off his body as his lover held him.

It was still early, so Eugene suggested they have lunch outside in the garden where Eeg could get some fresh air. Egon was ambling along behind Eugene en-route to the kitchen, when he passed a mirror and came to a sudden halt.

"I, uh….do you have a spare razor?" he asked, seeing how bizarre he looked since he hadn't shaved in days. Eugene showed him upstairs, fetching all the things he thought Egon may need before leaving him to that while he prepared the picnic of sorts.

When Egon emerged, he looked spick and span, all neatly shaved and hair brushed so it fell loose instead of its normal immaculate style. He followed Eugene out to the garden where they spread out a blanket beneath a big oak tree and started in on the food Eugene had cobbled together from the kitchen. Eugene wrapped his arms around Egon, letting the genius rest back against his chest while his legs framed the doctor's slender body. It reminded him of how they'd landed when he'd caught Egon, on that first time they'd kissed properly and Egon had agreed to a date.

A big, fuzzy bumble bee drifted lazily over as they finished off the last of the sandwiches, landing on Egon's hand as he lifted it to reach for his drink. The two watched in relaxed curiosity as the bee ambled over the back of Egon's hand.

"Aww, he likes you." Eugene smiled and they watched it potter about for a few seconds more, then it buzzed its wings and flew away like a fuzzy helicopter.

"You must see some amazing insects at night." Egon mused, envying the countryside its bounty of things to study.

"Well, we could always come back out here tonight, have a drink and you can bug-watch all you like. I'll study the study-er."

Egon flushed as Eugene nuzzled his neck, tilting his head back to expose more of his collarbone, letting his mind be absorbed in the feel and taste of the lips roaming his skin.

Eugene's hands slipped under his shirt, tracing up Egon's chest and down to his hips. Egon arched his back, delighting in the shivers that raced up his back. His work HAD been at a standstill, and the idea of a break was appealing-

Eugene's hand slid round to the front of Egon's trousers, tracing down between his legs.

"We're the only property for miles around." Eugene whispered in his ear "we could do whatever we want.."

Egon twisted round to kiss him, oh he wanted alright. In a tangle of limbs and kisses, he swiftly found himself lying on his back atop the soft blanket, with Eugene unbuttoning his lab coat and then the shirt beneath.

Egon twined his fingers in Eugene's hair, kissing him heatedly before sliding his hands down Eugene's broad back, plucking his shirt free from his waistband…his lover's skin was so hot, the solid warmth of him making the stress of the last few days melt away for the time being.

He groaned happily as he felt the soft scratch of the blanket beneath now bare skin, felt Eugene's hands roaming over his body- he nuzzled Eugene's neck, feeling his pulse racing as he kissed his throat.

He clung tightly to Eugene now as his partner began his frankly mind-blowing preparations, gentle fingers touching and teasing, those firm hands exploring his body and brushing other sensitive spots so the pleasure all merged together.

The sounds of birdsong and the buzzing of insects melded together into background noise as Eugene guided Egon to his first climax with just his hands. Now for the main event…

Eugene took him slow and sweet, building up the speed and pleasure bit by bit. Egon moaned eagerly as he nuzzled into Eugene's shoulder, he'd never held out THIS long, but Eugene was drawing it out and he definitely liked it.

Hearing Egon gasping his name between deep moans of pleasure only made Eugene adore the sensitive doctor right to his core. Especially when he asked for more…

He held back a moment, then with one final hot-and-heavy thrust, he brought both himself and his precious doctor to climax.

He kissed Egon's forehead as he pulled out, the blanket rumpled and creased beneath them as they snuggled close.

"Mmm, that was amazing.." Egon sighed contentedly "I theorise I may have kept myself pent up for too long."

"It has been awhile," Eugene smiled, stroking Egon's hair and kissing his nose "but I'm glad I could help ease your burden."

Egon blushed, Eugene seemed to be completely enamoured with the way he experienced multiple orgasms, always finding new ways to bring him over the edge. He met Eugene's gaze now, kissing him softly.

"Thank you, Eugene..." he whispered, feeling warm and snug in his hold. A gentle breeze brushed over their skin and Egon smiled, the juxtaposition between the heat of his lover and the coolness of the breeze.

"For you, Eeg. Anytime." Eugene said happily, he'd missed these little interludes with his precocious Egon.

He nibbled on Egon's ear, hearing him moan sharply and feeling him shiver in pleasure. His hand slid down Egon's chest to his groin and Egon's sounds of pleasure took on a lustful edge. Drawing back, Eugene let his gaze drift down, a knowing smile tugging at his lips.

"Hmm, I think you still have some 'stress' left to dissipate, my dear Eeg."

"Ah-! I seem to have underestimated how easily I would become inadvertently aroused." Egon said in that adorable matter-of-fact way of his as he sat up. He blushed as Eugene got up and moved back, nudging his legs up and apart, was he-?

"Mm-hm," Eugene's eyes met Egon's, his longing for the doctor clear in his gaze "and this time, I want you to do something for me."

"W-what would that be?" Egon asked.

"Don't restrain yourself and don't stay quiet..." Eugene kissed Egon, nipping at his lower lip "I want to HEAR you, Eeg."

And without another word, he settled back and down-

"Euge-aahh-!" Egon cut off with a low moan as Eugene worked on him in that talented way of his.

Sat like this, it sent even stronger surges up Egon's spine. He squirmed eagerly, biting his lip and drawing breath as he felt Eugene's hands settle on his hips, keeping him still.

Recalling Eugene's request, he didn't try to hold back his voice, trying to spell out how good this felt, but full sentences were beyond even his intellect right then. On some kind of instinct, he tangled his hands in Eugene's hair, then moved them to his shoulders, his body curving like a comma.

"Eugene, I- I can't hold on much longer-!" Egon cut off mid-sentence, his words having prompted Eugene to pick up the pace.

Birds flapped away in a burst of sound as Egon climaxed, his voice slightly hoarse. Eugene sat back, licking his lips and regarding the flushed Spengler sat before him.

"You have the cutest voice, Eeg." he praised "you sound so hot."

Egon kissed him, giving a happy sigh as they lay side by side again until it began to get cold and they gathered their clothing up and darted inside.

"Y'know, essentially we just streaked." Eugene joked as they made their way upstairs. Egon laughed, shaking his head as they reached Eugene's bedroom to drop their clothing off before heading to the shower.

"I'll add it to my list of things I never expected I would do."

"What's the top thing on the list?" Eugene asked and Egon went flame red and stared at the wall for several seconds before speaking.

"Have multiple orgasms and want more." he muttered, feeling his face heat up. He'd viewed it as something shameful for so long that he still kept some feelings in reserve.

Eugene grinned at this admission, grabbing Eeg in a kiss that near took his breath away.

"Well, anytime you want more, just let me know and I'll give as many as you can handle." He winked saucily at his lover.

Something about this promise made Egon's spine tingle and he smiled, saying he'd certainly keep that in mind.

That night, Eugene made good his promise and he and Egon sat outside, wrapped in blankets and clutching mugs of hot cocoa, watching the bugs darting about in the light filtering through the open kitchen door.

Fireflies swarmed around them and Egon smiled to watch them, the trails of light they left behind. He and Eugene shared sweet, cocoa-laced kisses, just relaxing in the solitude.

They slept in Eugene's bed, making love once again before falling asleep tangled in one anothers arms.

Egon returned home the next day, promising he'd call Eugene if there was any progress with Peter's situation.

On day number...Peter couldn't recall at this point, he'd just sunk into the fog and stayed there, he came across an envelope propped up by his bed when he returned from his shower.

In it was a handwritten note and a very intricate necklace. Ray had once quizzed Peter about his taste in music, being surprised to hear he liked the rock bank Metal Witch. The necklace bore a hand-crafted version of the bands logo. Peter held it in his hand as he opened the note.

"Peter-

Guess who we met today? Their tour bus had been inhabited by a REALLY foul tempered spirit, but we got rid of it. When they asked if there was anything they could do to thank us, I thought of what you'd like most. I asked for a little souvenir for you and the lead dummer gave this to me, it s the one he wore to their last show, said he hoped it'd bring good luck.

Sleep well,

Ray."

Peter clutched the talisman tightly in his hand, he could feel all the affection poured into the letter, could hear Ray's gentle voice reading it aloud in his head. He was hit with an almost unbearable longing for the man; his voice, his kiss...even as that part of him that refused human contact since that night tried to object. He wondered if he'd ever get to lie with Ray again if the man knew the truth about him?

It'd been two weeks and he'd mostly kept to himself, avoiding any contact unless necessary. He'd told Janine he wasn't coming back to work for the foreseeable future, shaking his head and sounding strained when she asked why. He couldn't say it, and oddly, she didn't pester him, just nodded and said to let her know when he was done sitting on his ass. This succeeded in getting a faint chuckle from Peter, although it was a hollow copy of his former humour.

"-Peter."

"GAH!" Peter yelped and sat bolt upright on the bed, staring wide-eyed at the figure who'd suddenly appeared from behind the stack of boxes he used as a wall. It was Winston. Peter sighed softly and let the letter flutter to the bed, but clutched the necklace tightly, feeling it cutting into his palm.

"There's something you need to see." Winston said bluntly. Peter shook his head, but Winston strode over, grasping his sleeve and hauling him to his feet. He stared levelly at Peter, recalling what he'd said to Ray the night they'd gone to rescue him. Peter was notoriously stubborn, insistent on being beholden only to himself, even when it was bad for him. Sometimes he needed to be towed out of this comfort zone and that was Winston's intent.

"You can kick and scream and fight all you like Pete, but you need to see this. All I'm asking is that you come with me, then you can go back to being a hermit. Got it?"

Peter didn't say anything, just clutched the lifeline Ray's gift had quickly become. But finally, he seemed to read something in his fellow Ghostbuster's serious expression and nodded mutely.

Winston brought him outside to where his car waited and Peter fidgeted uneasily in the seat as they drove away from HQ, wondering what was going on. He clutched the necklace tightly as he watched the world stream by in the cars wake, feeling the nauseating panic fade just a little.

The thought finally occurred to him to wear it and he shakily managed to set it around his neck, feeling its reassuring weight come to rest against his collarbone. As he set his hands on his lap, he seen the faint scars left from the restraints. They weren't hugely visible, but he self-conciously tugged his sleeves down to cover them anyway.

"We're here." Winston announced and Peter snapped out of his daze. They were parked on what looked to be a fairly nondescript road, lined by buildings that all seemed to be private offices. The engine hummed softly, the faint vibrations barely noticeable.

"There's nothing here, what game are you playing, Winston?" Peter said sharply, glaring at his friend, but Winston didn't seem fazed at all by the anger directed at him, merely nodding at something over Pete's shoulder on the street.

"Just watch that door there." Winston gestured to the office a few doors down from where they were parked. Peter waited, the silence ringing in his ears and body coiled like a spring ready to snap, what was he looking for-?

Then the door opened and two figures emerged. One looked like a doctor, the other-

"Ray?" Peter whispered softly, that building tension dissipating in a second as shock took over. Why were they spying on Ray?

He seen Ray shake the doctor's hand, managing a shaken smile. Even though he knew Stantz had been sleeping better as of late, Winston could still see how emotionally drained Ray was. It showed in the lacklustre set of his smile, the carefully hidden bags under his eyes...

"What's he doing...where is this?" Peter asked, voice peaking in alarm as he grasped at straws. His glance darted from Ray to Winston now, demanding an explanation. Winston waited until Ray was out of sight then turned to face Peter's glare with unflinching determination.

"That is doctor Silverstream. He's an expert in PTSD and trauma, Pete."

"Trauma-? What, how-? Did something happen to Raymond?" Peter snapped, his hands trembling a little as he glared at Winston. Again, Winston waited a full three seconds to deliver his answer, making Peter feel both frightened and angry at the same time.

"Winston-?!"

"He's not doing it for himself, Pete. He's doing it for YOU."

"What?" Peter whispered. It didn't make sense, why-?

-But it does make sense..- that part of his brain that had been attacked by the events of that night, the part where his old self tried pathetically to recover, spoke up now. -you know he wouldn't abandon you.-

This felt like too much and he uttered an angry snarl, hunching over in the seat, pressing the heels of his hands into his forehead as if it'd hold back the pressure building there. Winston hurriedly shut the car off, knowing by now that these emotional-led surges caused everything electrical to wig out. The car parked in front of them flashed its lights rapidly, a shrill beeping filling the air for a second before it stilled. Winston sighed in relief, the burst had been minimal, Pete was likely too tired to rally much strength behind it.

Now, he waited patiently until Peter's breathing slowed a little and he seemed to recover enough to sit back up straight, hands gripping his seat tightly. It was worrying them all, Winston knew, to see Peter like this. He'd always been the one who'd kept pushing THEM, either by sarcasm or by annoying them into doing things they'd told themselves they couldn't. He was simultaneously the best and worst motivator, in the conventional sense anyway. When everyone else was angry or lost, he just smiled and offered a smug, knowing plan. Then boasted about it for days afterwards.

It wasn't until this incident had seemingly buried that side of Venkman that they'd come to see how big a difference he made, even Janine said things weren't the same without him teasing her about….everything.

"He's going all out to find a way to reach you, Pete." Winston regarded the stunned, silenced Venkman now "whatever happened to you in there, whatever it is you think you've become, he's not seeing anything different. He's been spending every spare day he has visiting this guy, all to try find a way to stop you tearing yourself apart."

The realisation was enough to make Peter feel dizzy and he barely managed to fumble for the button to open the window and let in some fresh air before he blacked out from panic. His fringe flopped over his face and Winston noticed he clearly hadn't gotten it cut in all that time, showing how secluded he'd become.

"Talk to me, Pete. What's going on?" Winston said firmly.

Peter closed his eyes, resting his head in his hands. The words came at last, faltering at first but soon it was all spilling out of him.

"The ones who kidnapped me...t-they worked for my father. He was some kind of modern-day wizard, a total fruitcake who made a bargain with some high-level demon. When I was a kid, he tried to enact that same ritual but it was interrupted by my mother."

"Your dad's alive?" Winston asked, dumbfounded. Peter nodded, laughing bitterly a second later.

"He's not even human anymore. Ivan informed me that he became a demon the night he signed that agreement. He planned to enhance his power by sacrificing...me."

Silence rang in the car.

"OK, first off, your father's an a-hole, Second; your father's an a-hole. I realise that's the same point, but it was such a big one I felt it was worth mentioning twice." Winston said angrily. Peter chuckled emptily then continued, running a hand through his hair with a shaken sigh.

"Some of the power had already bled into me when I was taken away from the ritual by my mother and her accomplices. Power that just stayed asleep all these years, until they tried to wake it back up and succeeded. You've noticed the power surges since I left the hospital, don't lie to me."

"Oh I'm aware, you've been freaking Janine out for days!"

"Don't you get it Winston? Since that ceremony, I'm not technically human anymore."

"Who is?" Winston said, making Peter stare incredulously at him.

"Are you even listening?!" he said sharply, waving a hand in the other Ghostbusters face "I'm a god damn inhuman THING, Winston. I probably belong in the containment unit-"

Winston caught Venkman's wrist mid wave, but on seeing him tense up, he let go and Peter stared mutely at him. The fire in Zeddemore's stare had silenced any further fury he had inside him.

"No, what I heard was 'my dads a jerk, I got zapped by a bit of demon power and now it's awake again.' None of that says "hi, I'm Pete Venkman, I'm not human.' You're not some sub-human monster, you're just a guy who got stuck with some weird-ass powers. You should really borrow some of Ray's comic books, they're full of stories like that."

Peter glanced back out the window at where the building Ray had exited from seemed to loom over the rest of the street. Was it really that simple? He shook his head, unwilling to chance it.

"None of that matters if I end up hurting him." He said stiffly "I'm not blind, I know Egon's been measuring the air around me every time I lose my temper. I seen those sparks when I set his laptop on fire...I know its getting worse. If I hurt anyone, most of all Ray- I'm not risking it Winston. Not now, not ever."

Silence rang and for one gleaming moment Peter thought he'd won, then-

"Did it ever occur to you, you total and utter blockhead, that maybe letting someone help you might, well, HELP you?" Winston shot back, making Peter blink, eyebrows raised.

But he found he couldn't respond, just glanced down at his hands as they rested on his lap. Winston sighed, he'd done what he could.

"Let's get going, I gotta grab some groceries for the firehouse before we go back."

Peter didn't say a word as they drove, but one hand did move to his chest where the necklace rested. The movement registered on Winston's peripheral vision and he felt there was hope there.

He'd come up into the attic in time to see Peter holding said necklace and the letter, something close to actual hope on his face. That was when he'd decided he wasn't taking no for answer today, Peter was going to see what he'd found out; one way or another. Winston hadn't realised Peter liked that band until he'd put together Ray mentioning a 'close friend' was a fan when they'd been speaking to the Metal Witch band members after the bust, then seeing Peter with the necklace.

To his surprise, Peter actually came with him into the market. He remained all but silent as he trailed absently along behind Winston, but it was more exposure to the world then he'd taken in weeks. The necklace around his neck caught the light as well as the eye of a young woman in one of the aisles as Peter drifted about on his own.

"Oh my gosh- where did you get that?!" she gushed, seeing the man wearing it jump slightly, an odd expression on his face as she looked at him. Up close, she couldn't help think he looked familiar...

"W-what? Oh, right." Peter looked down at the necklace he wore "It was a gift from one of my co-workers."

"He got to see Metal Witch? That's so cool, it looks just like the lead drummer's-"

Recalling Ray's letter, Peter wanted to say it WAS, but that somehow it felt like it would lessen the nature of the gift.

"Yeah, he had to listen to me banging on about them enough, that he knew who my favourite was."

She grinned "I love that song 'Barricade on fire.' Its all about breaking free and who doesn't wanna do that these days?"

She had a point, Peter thought and nodded as he combined this with Winston's reveal to him not half an hour before.

"Hey, Peter!" Speaking of..

Peter turned to see Winston standing at the end of the aisle "what's that candy Ray's always buying? Egon wrote the shopping list, and no offence to the guy, but he has terrible handwriting."

"Uhh….besides StayPuft marshmallows?" Peter paused to think, recalling that candy bar Ray had given him after he'd picked him up from the hospital. He shrugged and suggested this to Winston, who nodded.

The woman blinked, she knew those names. A closer stare at the gentleman in front her made all the pieces click into place. His hair had grown a bit longer and both he and Winston were in plain clothes, but there was no denying..

"Sweet merciful crap, you're the Ghostbusters!" she clapped her hands, making Winston smile and come over to join them.

"Yup, that's us."

She beamed at them, rummaging in her bag for something;

"I totally didn't recognise you doctor Venkman, you changed your look!"

"Actually I just haven't been to the barbers in weeks. Been….busy." Peter lied smoothly.

The woman held up a notebook, with a hopeful grin on her face, asking if she might have their autographs. Winston seen Peter smile softly as he nodded, perhaps he missed his work after all this time away? He hoped so…

She gave Peter an extra smile as they made to continue their shopping, saying he should check the concert listings, MW were gonna post soon and maybe there'd be a concert here in New York?

"Bet that's made her day!" Winston chuckled to Peter as they got back into the car, both clutching a soda. Peter had to admit he'd missed this sugary nonsense fluid, he'd mostly been drinking coffee non-stop.

He managed a faint smile now "she was asking about that necklace Ray left for me."

"Oh yeah, from that band? Can't say I'm into that, but they were nice guys! Ray looked pretty excited to talk to them, it makes sense he picked it up from you."

"I did worry I was a bad influence on him." Peter said wryly, a faint attempt at sarcasm, a muscle that hadn't been flexed in quite some time.

"Well, he hasn't started making innuendoes out of everything, so I think we're safe for now."

Peter's heart ached as he uttered a chuckle and he felt a pricking pain behind his eyes as he thought of Ray. He fell silent, staring out the window once more…

He hung back as Winston unpacked the groceries, leaning against the counter and staring into space until Ray and Egon came in.

"Ooh, are those the choco- Peter!" Ray's tone was a mix of surprise and delight as his gaze went from candy to the object of his affections.

Peter blinked as Ray approached him, the candy forgotten, apparently. Seeing the almost cautious way he did it made Venkman realise how much he'd been rejecting all of his friends, not just Raymond. How they were stepping tentatively around him in fear of igniting his temper..guilt fought with shame and he bit his lip.

"Hey.." Ray smiled, but there was an 'are you OK?' look in his eyes as he stood in front of Peter. Egon began assisting Winston with the shopping, his eyes lighting up when he seen the box of twinkies.

Peter managed a small smile as his world narrowed to the one in front of him "Ray….hay.."

Ray looked at the clock "you wanna stay for lunch? I'm making Pancakes!"

Peter hesitated, part of him just wanted to stay in the attic and not be disturbed; but when he thought back to seeing Ray exiting that office, knowing he'd been spending all his time and probably money trying to help HIM- it made him pause. He seen the hope in Ray's eyes and with a herculean effort, he nodded.

"Sounds good." He said softly.

Ray looked so heartbreakingly relieved that it made Peter feel guilty all over again. But this was briefly forgotten as Ray snagged the edge of his sleeve, his fingertips just brushing Peter's skin as he guided him to the table.

Peter sat down, watching and listening to the others as Winston and Egon discussed the genius' latest thingy and Ray made the pancakes. The smell brought back lots of good memories, including that eating contest he and Ray had started. Which Egon had won, proving his stomach was either a black hole or a bottomless pit, or...

"It isn't a trash compacter, either." Egon put in now, seeing the reflective smile briefly gracing Peter's face.

Ray giggled, he knew what that referred to, glancing briefly at Peter and smiling as he flipped the pancakes with expert ease. Soon they were ready and Ray stacked numerous condiments to go on top, including sugar sprinkles and whipped cream.

They were delicious, soft and fluffy. Peter tucked into them, feeling oddly relaxed. The voices of his friends blurred together to form a soft-spoken lullaby to the exhausted Peter and he yawned sleepily.

"Pete? You ok?" he blinked awake again as Winston waved a hand at him, but not too close.

"Wha...uhm..." Peter rubbed his forehead, feeling abruptly drained "I'm going to go lie down."

"Sleep well." Ray said, just softly enough for him to hear. A glance back allowed Peter to meet Ray's eyes, the first tremors of a smile flittered across his face and he nodded silently.

The others watched him leave, waiting until they knew he was far enough away before talking.

"He's finally leaving that bolt-hole of his, thats good." Egon remarked.

"Yeah, I persuaded him to come shopping, he's barely moved since discharging himself from the hospital." Winston pointed out.

"By 'persuaded', you mean 'gave him no choice', don't you?" Egon asked and Ray looked mildly alarmed. But he realised they had a point, you couldn't always break someones habits without being a little harsh…

"Pretty much. But it was progress. While we were in the store, a young woman came up to Peter, asking about that necklace he was wearing. He seemed a little happier after putting it on as we were driving."

The fact it'd made Peter feel better was a big relief to Ray. Now if he could just find that magic object that'd return his friend and lovers missing heart…

"Don't worry Ray, it'll happen." Winston said, seeing the worry written over his face.

"It's been weeks, Winston and I still can't get through to him. What if the damage is too great..?" He broke off, vision blurring.

"I don't think so." Egon piped up, making Ray blink at him "this lunchtime alone I've seen glimpses of his usual self drifting to the surface. He looked a little brighter when you greeted him AND when you set the pancakes down. It's all there, but something major is stalling his recovery."

"Contact." Ray whispered softly and the others nodded silently. Ray shook his head and sighed, drumming his fingers on the table top as he pondered the matter for the millionth time.

"I thought it was just shock on waking back up in there, but he's been lashing out every time someone gets too close. They must've have tortured him or something...but when I try to ask him, it seems to hurt so much that he.."

"Short-circuits." Winston finished, Ray nodding silently.

"He won't talk about it, so what can we do?" Egon sighed "it's an impasse. As I have witnessed, attempts to make him reveal what's bothering him always result in Peter throwing every wall he has up, which leads to the short-circuiting you speak of."

But hope was on the horizon…

That night, Peter found himself waking up at 2 in the morning, needing a drink after another nightmare. Red flames surrounding him and an unseen voice telling him he was going to fulfil his purpose-

He stumbled down to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and downing it in one and uttering a quiet hiccup. He was about to scurry back upstairs when he seen a note tacked to the fridge.

"- Get spices for Peter's coffee.

-marshmallows?"

He pressed his forehead against the top of the fridge, head swimming. Every fibre of Ray's being was being devoted to him….why couldn't he just-?

-What do you want him to do? Abandon you?- his brain said –that's BS and you know it. You know how you feel.-

Peter drifted over to sit beneath one of the tall narrow windows in the kitchen, the moonlight sent long rectangles of silvery light across the floor ahead of him, the stairwell painted in darkness.

He rested his head on his knees, letting the silence ring around him as he hoped for a miracle-

"Peter?"

In a repeat of that first morning after, Peter glanced up to see Ray stood not far from him. Only this time he wore pyjamas and his hair was ruffled from tossing and turning in the throes of restless sleep.

Peter looked at him, seeing every act of kindness Ray had done for him, before and after his abduction. Somehow, he was able to make himself pat the floor beside him hopefully. Ray's eyes widened, hope filling them as he hastened over to sit beside Peter, leaving about a foot or so between them. He set his hands on the floor, tracing the grooves in the wood.

He didn't say anything, afraid he'd disturb this rare show of relaxation from the stressed Peter.

"My mother saved me from them before, a long time ago." Peter murmured. "My father was apparently some modern-day wizard freak, and when his deal with a demon didn't get him as much power as he wanted, the demon offered him an alternative; Sacrifice his son and he'd give him even more."

Ray felt like the floor had dropped out from under him. Peter's father had done that?!

How…?

"But my mother interrupted the ceremony, got me away from there. Until recently, that cult didn't know I still existed and whatever she did erased any memory I had save for a few fragments of her. Then their leader, my father, seen the Ghostbusters on TV and he recognised me. That was when he set that whole plan in motion."

He drew a shaky breath, the more painful part was still to come.

"She intervened in time to stop the demon showing up, but not soon enough to stop some of the power leeching into my body. Whatever she did, it left me blissfully unaware. All these years, Ray and I've never even been fully human. I don't know what I am! You've seen those fluctuations every time I got angry, I cant even control it."

"Peter…" Ray felt about to cry, it was hurting him to see Peter so miserable.

"You don't want to get any closer Ray, what if I end up hurting you? I'd never forgive myself, so I wont take that chance! I was a fool, I let myself get tricked-"

"How? You didn't know they were going to kidnap you-" Ray began, but Peter shook his head, voice choking painfully as he interrupted.

"No, I don't mean that. I mean Ivan. He told me one last thing before the ritual began, he knew I'd likely be dead by the rituals end, so he figured he'd 'get some use' out of me before that. I was absolutely nothing to him, little more than something he could stick his dick in."

Ray WAS crying now, he could see the pain this caused Peter, but he kept silent, knowing there was more.

"Right up until the ceremony started, he was taunting me, groping me, saying he'd miss SCREWING me. It made my skin crawl that I'd ever let him touch me. I felt disgusting, I-"

He broke down then, allowing the dam that'd been holding this back to finally open. This sense of self-loathing had been eating away at him like acid…how would Ray view him now?!

"Do you understand now, Ray?" he choked out as the flood finally ceased and he could draw breath again.

"Yes." Ray said, his voice choked from crying. Peter looked up then, seeing sympathy but also relief.

"Ray..?" he asked, sensing there was more to his agreement then just that word.

"I understand Peter, I understand you were scared and angry that your own dad did this to you, that those creeps hurt you and told you that you were nothing. That asshole was TRYING to hurt you, he'd have said anything to cause you pain." He shook his head, fresh tears filling sympathetic eyes "You are NOT worthless, Peter Venkman. You are worth the world to a lot of people. Your mother saved you because she cared deeply about you, all of US refused to give up finding you because we're your friends and I wont leave you to suffer alone because I love you."

Peter stared in shock, Ray….loved him?

"D-didn't you hear me? I'm-"

"You're YOU." Ray said, mimicking Winston in refusing to be swayed by Peter's fear "you aren't a demon, or a monster. You have some power, yes, but that's all. You're still the same composition of molecules, atoms and whatnot as you were those nights we spent together. The only difference between then and now is your memory; you remember you have this power and now its come to the surface. Yeah it's a little haywire, but its been suppressed for look how many years, of course it's going to be a bit skittish. But it'll be all right Peter, because you're not alone and I haven't changed how I feel about you. All I want to do is get rid of what's hurting you and I will do whatever it takes to get the real you back."

Peter wiped his sleeve over his eyes, Ray's words were like a shockwave. Memories of the trip he'd taken with Winston flittered into his brain now..

"W-winston showed me- that is, he drove us out to that office, I seen you talking to that doctor. You were trying to…"

"To find out what I could do, of course. You did nothing to deserve this, Peter and I sure as heck wasn't going to let that bunch of weirdos rob you of who you are."

Ray stared into the distance, thinking back over everything he'd learned from the books, from that doctor…

He felt warmth brush his hand and blinked. Looking down, what he seen made his heart ache.

Peter had silently shuffled just a little closer, reached out and lightly set his hand atop Ray's.

Ray turned his hand so that his palm faced upwards, feeling the minute tremble of Peter's hand as he threaded his fingers through Ray's.

"You're so warm." Peter whispered.

Ray squeezed his hand gently, but Peter didn't pull away, so he chanced edging a little closer until they were shoulder-to-shoulder. Peter looked at him, his eyes full of hope for the first time Ray had seen since the incident.

"See? You're safe." Ray whispered "you're amazing, you're the world to me and you're wanted. Nothing has changed Peter, I'm not leaving, remember?"

Peter looked close to collapse and Ray chanced shifting to face him and extending his other arm out to Peter, hoping against hope that he could-

Soon as his hand brushed Peter's shoulder, Venkman hesitated a moment, then folded into Ray's embrace, letting Ray draw him close to rest against his chest.

Ray heard Peter's breath hitch in his throat as the man battled the trauma-induced fear he'd been left with. Carefully, slowly, he settled a hand on Peter's back, rubbing it reassuringly.

Peter pressed against Ray, fighting that irrational fear that said he shouldn't let anyone touch him. That was just another of Ivan's lies, designed to break and humiliate him. Ray had never hurt him, he had always seen the best in him, even when Peter himself hadn't been convinced it was there.

Gradually the tremors subsided and he lifted his head to nuzzle Ray's neck, breathing in the scent of his skin. He'd missed it so badly, missed the warmth of him.

As if in a daze, he placed a tentative kiss against Ray's neck, feeling something stronger than fear pierce the haze in his mind. Affection. Desire.

Love.

Ray's arms were wrapped gently around him, letting him breathe but keeping him safe all the same. Peter moved his hands, linking them at Ray's lower back. He felt warm and solid, something Peter could anchor himself with.

Ray was watching all this with hope and relief written over his face. Peter was tentative, hesitant, but he was allowing contact and affection.

"Raymond." Peter whispered, his voice brushing the man's ear.

"I'm here, Peter. I'm not leaving, take all the time you need." Ray assured him, continuing to rub Venkman's back gently.

Peter finally lifted his head so their eyes met, staring at Ray with a look of hopeful yet anxious intent. Ray placed a hand against Peter's cheek, caressing it gently with his thumb. Peter's hand moved so it was linked with his, keeping it held to his cheek.

They were so close that Ray could see the way the moonlight glinted off individual strands of hair, highlighted his dark brown eyes.

He thought his heart was going to stop when Peter guided his hand round to the back of his neck, letting it rest there as he closed the distance and lightly kissed Ray.

Ray uttered a soft groan, he'd almost forgotten what his kiss was like; the last two weeks had felt like an eternity, parted from his friend.

So he pressed into the kiss, ever so slightly deepening it. Peter braced his hands on Ray's shoulders, his breathing a little faster as they parted.

"You OK?" Ray asked and Peter nodded, suddenly unsure how to proceed...

"Mind if I kiss you back?" Ray said in that cute, teasing way of his. Not certain of what to say, Peter just nodded, hoping the unspoken wish was readable in his face.

Ray pressed his lips to his lover's once more, hearing Peter utter a soft moan of tentative pleasure. Another kiss followed that one and then another...

Peter shifted how he was sat, with Ray instinctively helping settle him so he was sat atop his lap. They parted again and Peter flushed, must he seem crazy? But Ray just looked at him with that same look of affection and fondness that had drawn Peter to him at the start.

It felt like he'd finally woken after a long sleep, the world back in focus again. It had been akin to drowning beneath the waves and that kiss had literally restarted his body. He kissed Ray firmly, putting all that longing and affection into the gesture and hearing Ray groan softly into the kiss, his hands coming to rest at Peter's waist.

The kisses grew more passionate as Peter grew more relaxed, the pair only snatching brief gasps of air before resuming. For Peter, it felt like rediscovering those feelings from the start of their relationship. He wanted, no- needed more and Ray returned each kiss with a fervour that sent long-forgotten chills up Peter's back. Without thinking, Ray slipped his hands under Peter's shirt, caressing his skin as he felt Peter's tongue shyly brush his lips…

Peter made a faint noise and Ray hastily moved his hands, opening his mouth to apologise as Venkman drew back, only for Peter to speak up;

"Don't stop, please." Peter said softly, kissing Ray and meeting his friend's concerned hazel eyes when he released him.

"Peter, if it's making you feel unc-" Ray began, but stopped as Peter shook his head firmly.

"It's not," Peter vowed "I won't lie, I'm scared, but I know this much; if I don't beat this now, I don't think I'll have the strength to do it again. I need you, Ray." He closed his eyes, indulging in the warmth of Ray's skin, the scent of him. He'd taught himself to rely ONLY on himself, but maybe it was time that changed...

"I know it sounds crazy but- ahh.."

He cut off with a shiver of delight as he felt Ray's hands press to his back, palms flat as he'd always done. A memory flashed through Peter's mind, of that conversation in Ray's bed and how he'd teased that he didn't mind Ray leaving a mark on him.

He nuzzled Ray's neck as those hands gently moved up his back, coming to rest between his shoulder blades. Ray's pulse was reassuring, its rhythm soothing to Peter as he kissed beneath his lover's ear. His shirt was bunched up at Stantz's wrists, the night air of the kitchen cooling the light dusting of sweat on his skin. The craziest idea came into Peter's mind, he needed Ray to do one more thing for him…

-I need to overwrite every bad memory, including those ones. The ones where HE dominated ME.-

"Ray…" he murmured, making Ray draw back to meet his eyes. He slid his hands back down to Peter's sides, thumbs rubbing gently against his skin.

"You OK?" Ray asked softly, upon seeing something in Peter's eyes, was he nervous?

"I need something from you, Ray." Peter kissed him softly, heart pounding heavily "I need.."

He leaned in and whispered his wish in Ray's ear.

Ray flushed, could he fulfil that request? He'd never done it…

But one look at Peter's face, one glance at the longing there; coupled with the way he was fighting something that'd terrorised him for weeks-

Ray knew he'd find a way to be confident if it meant saving Peter.

"Of course." He answered, seeing actual tears of relief in Peter's eyes as he nodded.

He helped Peter to his feet now, Venkman's hand clasped in his as they silently made their way back to the attic.

Every few steps, one would snag the other in a kiss, as if afraid to part for long. Ray's head was spinning, he'd started to fear that Peter would never return from that deep depression he'd been in since returning home. Yet here he was, hands entwined and lips hating to part for long...

Something had jump-started him again, was it whatever Winston had said to him?

He pulled Peter against him as he straightened up from closing the attic door, feeling Venkman press eagerly into his embrace. His hands slipped under Peter's shirt as they stood there, gently sliding the worn fabric up and over his head. Peter gave a faint little shiver as the cooler air of the attic washed over his skin. The shirt dropped soundlessly to the floor by their feet as Ray stepped back, eyeing the lines and curves of Peter's body, down to where the worn jeans he was wearing rested on his hips.

An intense shiver ran up Peter's back, how long had it been since someone had looked at HIM this way? Even that look of lust on Ivan's face had been a lie, all he'd seen was a target.

-No, I don't want to remember him anymore!— Peter thought defiantly, brushing the memory aside. Those traitorous thoughts about being inhuman began to slip away like water down a windowpane as Ray linked his fingers in Peter's and pulled them ever closer to the bed.

It was like a dance, Ray leading him, each step bringing them closer to one another. A few steps then another kiss, a few steps more and then Ray's gentle hands were unbuckling Peter's belt and letting his trousers crumple to the floor. Peter stepped out of them, wrapping one arm around Ray's neck while the other hooked over the collar of Ray's button-down pyjama shirt, undoing all the buttons in one swift, downward swipe. Ray shrugged it off, throwing it aside as Peter's hands linked at the base of his neck.

Ray let his hands brush over his lover's rear, before he braced his hands under Peter's thighs and lifted him up, cradling him against his chest.

"Ray.." Peter said softly as the younger man pressed a kiss to his chest, then nuzzled his collarbone.

"Mmm?" Ray enquired, kissing Peter's throat now, feeling his pulse fluttering beneath his skin.

"I missed you." Peter closed his eyes, tangling his fingers in Ray's hair as a delicious shiver ran up his back. It was true, he'd been so lost in the devastation of having who he was questioned right down to his parentage, that he'd forgotten the good things. His friends, his lover, his JOB.

"I'm here now and I'm not leaving you, Peter." Ray promised once more. Peter held tightly to him as Ray ceased his kisses and carried him the rest of the distance to the bed, setting him down atop the blankets.

A brief glance told Ray that Peter had been keeping the little gifts he'd left for him, books were stacked in a neat pile, discarded candy bar wrappers filled the waste basket and there, folded by the pillow was the letter Ray had left with the necklace.

Speaking of, he looked at it now as he sat back to remove the last article of clothing from Venkman. It rested in the hollow of his throat, the light making the intricate detail shine like a star. He teasingly removed the man's underwear, tracing his fingers along Peter's legs as he admired him.

He spotted that well-hidden tube that Peter had used for him that first night and reached for it now.

Seeing what he was holding, Peter felt his heart pick up and he closed his hand over Ray's, his eyes meeting Stantz's.

"You don't need to use that." He murmured "I've done this plenty of times-"

But Ray cutely shook his head, shifting forward and bringing Peter's hand to his lips to kiss it.

"Let ME take care of it, Peter. You did it for me, remember?" he asked hopefully.

Peter opened his mouth to say of course he'd prepared him, it'd been Ray's first-

Then it occurred to him that in a way, this was a first for HIM. This was the first time that someone he wanted so strongly was the one taking him, so he nodded and let his hand fall back to the bed as Ray continued opening the tube. The liquid gleamed as Stantz let it coat his fingers, before pressing them against that most intimate spot.

Peter had been serious when he'd said he was an old hand at this, but the moment he felt Ray's fingers begin to explore him, he couldn't hold back a low, aroused moan as a dizzying surge of heat ran down his spine to between his legs. He'd taken this for granted, telling himself it was pointless after the first few instances…

He scrunched the blanket beneath him as Ray did more then any other had done, but that was what Peter loved about him. He knew about Peter's past, how he'd made a game of no-strings attached sex, but he didn't think anything unkind of it...

Ray continued, heart racing at how cute Peter was as he responded so eagerly to what Ray was doing.

-I Lov- – the thought cut off as Ray ceased his preparations, kissing Peter once more before settling his hands at his hips and lifting them just a little…

The sharp cry of pleasure Peter uttered made Ray's heart pound, along with the sensation of how hot his lover's body was, both inside and out. Recalling the way Peter had been so gentle with HIM on that initial night, he mimicked his actions now, listening to how Peter's breath hitched in his throat as Ray nuzzled him.

"Mmmh, gonna be completely shameless here..." Peter panted as Ray was at last fully in, their eyes meeting as Stantz braced his hands either side of Peter's head "Wow, snug."

Ray blushed, getting the hint in Peter's words. He kissed Venkman once more before he began.

He was a little shy at first, he WAS a novice at this after all, but the way Peter called his name in that husky voice of his; the way he bit his lip and dug his heels in so every thrust hit that sweet spot-

Ray soon began moving faster and harder. Peter groaned eagerly in response, urging him on and wrapping his arms around his shoulders; breathing in the scent of his skin as he let the act fill every sense he had. Sound, sight...taste, all of them. The solid warmth of Raymond's body, the point where they were connected, the feel of his lips as he kissed Peter- so many memories came back in a heady rush. The nights they'd shared, the quick kisses and private moments they'd snuck together in the firehouse…

He nibbled on Ray's ear as the man settled into a hot and heavy rhythm. This sent a lustful shiver up Ray's spine and Peter uttered a near feral growl of longing as he felt him pick up the pace, the rhythm getting faster and hotter. The peak soon approached and Peter didn't try to hold back, he needed this-

"Raymond-!" Peter squeezed Ray's shoulders tightly as he felt his first climax in so long hit him HARD like a thunderclap and it was enough to make him feel light-headed, arching his back to press against his partner's chest. Even in his state of bliss, he felt Ray finish with one last thrust into him, heard Stantz gasp his name, over and over…

Silence fell and they lay still for a few moments, the sound of their breathing intermingling as they got their heartbeats under control. They lay tangled in each other atop the bed, drained but satisfied.

"Peter?" Ray asked softly as he got his breath back, feeling Peter's chest rising and falling rapidly beneath him "was t-that-?" he was cut off mid question by Peter kissing him so heatedly that it took his breath away.

"That was one HELL of a ride." Peter said as they parted, with a gleam in his eyes that set Ray's pulse into overdrive. THIS was his Peter, behind the lingering exhaustion there was the start of that flirtatious smile and that desire in his eyes. Ray kissed Venkman deeply as he slowly, gently pulled out of his lover, Peter's moan of pleasure muffled by his lips.

He drew the blankets over them, settling himself on his back so Peter could rest against him. His eyes met Peter's and he blushed, he almost couldn't believe he'd just taken the dominant role and going by the look in Peter's eyes as he traced a finger up Ray's chest; Venkman was VERY satisfied.

Peter began to drift asleep as Ray rubbed his back in rhythmic caresses.

"Ray?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Yes, Peter?" Ray asked, studying the way Venkman could hardly keep his eyes open, eyelashes shuttering against his skin.

"Thank you…for staying." Peter whispered as he drifted into a deep sleep.

Ray's heart ached affectionately as he studied the slumbering Ghostbuster.

"Anytime, Peter.." he promised, letting his own eyes close as he let sleep take over him.