Binds
Quite an impressive collection. Egon slipped into the library, having woken up and been unable to go back to sleep. There were a few stacks of books that didn't make it onto the shelves, and the shelves were practically crammed with books. There were also a couple of plants near the window on a table. Janice was on the couch, reading glasses on and a thick book open on her chest. It's a little uncanny how much she looks like Janine. The only differences were their eyes and the fact Janice was taller. Well, that, and Janice's hair was longer as well. One of her legs was hanging off the couch, and he very gently placed it back, along with removing her glasses and marking her spot in the book right before he wrapped a blanket better around her. She barely even stirred. Must be exhausted, I would have woken up. Picking up another book, he glanced at the title. Aschroft's Undead Curses? I've been searching for years for this! Taking the armchair that had only a few books on its seat, he cleared it off and sat down to read.
"P- Dr. Spengler?" He glanced up an hour later, Janice had woken up. "What are you-?"
"Helping myself to the library. I couldn't get back to sleep." He absently shifted. "You've got quite a collection."
"I have more at home . . ." She fidgeted.
"Janine mentioned you don't get along with the rest of your family."
"More Dad, than my brother or my mom." She shifted. "According to him, I can never keep my head out of the clouds."
"Something we have in common."
"Huh?" He watched her look up, surprised.
"I was considered the black sheep of my family for years after I expressed interest in Paraphysics." Egon watched her expression. "Even after I started Ghostbusters with Peter and Ray, I wasn't really acknowledged."
"I guess that is something we have in common." Egon watched her as she glanced down.
"Something you want to ask?" He watched her glance back up, biting her lip. "You can ask me anything, you know. I'm not your parents." It was funny, he reflected. She was more like Ray, or how Ray was when he first met him. Or some of the shyness he exhibited around Janine. And it was more for that reason than the fact she was his great granddaughter that made him worry about her.
"It's silly . . . but . . . when it's just you and me, Can I . . . can I call you Papa Egon?" He blinked. "Told you it was silly, never mind forget I asked."
"That's fine." A small smile quirked his lips as she glanced up at him again. "But only in private, alright?" She nodded.
"Okay, Papa Egon." She stretched. "What are you reading?"
"Undead Curses, It's rather interesting." They spent several hours talking, at some point, Egon joined her on the couch.
Later, Alan peeked his head in to see both Egon and Janice sitting on the couch reading a large book, with glasses on. Shaking his head he closed the door. Janice really did take after her great grandparents.
Ray was an early riser by years of working on a farm. Breakfast was also one of the few meals he was allowed to cook since he only tried new things out when it was dinner or Lunch. He had noticed Egon missing from the guy's bunkroom, and chose to just get breakfast together. He'd check out the library later, if Egon hadn't shown by breakfast.
"You're up early." He glanced at Ruth, a little disheveled but awake.
"Force of habit, you?"
"Only time I can get the bathroom before my brother. He takes longer than I do." She shifted, tightening her bathrobe. "Want some help?"
"Sure." The silence wasn't comfortable. "I'm amazed that Ghostbusters has gotten so large, It's a far cry from just four guys and their secretary."
"It's not really that great . . ." Ruth glanced down. "Odd hours, never really knowing if you're going to make a date or an appointment, people's petty problems."
"But you're making a difference. You're fighting to help people. That's important." Ray insisted.
"I use to think that. Then I got stuck here."
"Is that a bad thing?" Ruth blinked and met his eyes, it took a second to realize that she had responded to him like he would her brother. "Even if it's thankless, it's not meaningless."
"I suppose you're right." Ruth glanced down. She was having a hard time keeping herself from relaxing.
"Is this a family reunion?" Ed walked in.
"Something like that." Ruth, feeling a little impish, tossed some flour at her brother.
"How long do I have to stay up here?" Peter shrugged on a new shirt.
"Sorry, just wanted to monitor you over night." Alan shrugged.
"So you're Charlie's grandson?" Peter glanced over his shoulder.
"Yeah . . . Uh, Oscar's kids are in L.A. and Jessica's are in Texas . . . She married an Oil tycoon." Alan watched as Peter gave a bitter smile. "How are you doing?"
"Oh, just fine . . . I'm brought back for God knows what, I also coincide with the temporally displaced teammates, and I meet my great grandchild. I'm just peachy." Peter sighed as he sat down. Alan sat next to him. "I'm glad they all had good lives . . . I just wish that,"
"You'd been there?" Alan asked.
"Yeah."
"Well, you're here now . . . And it smells like breakfast." Alan noted.
"Oomph!" Winston accidentally tripped over Chad who slept on the floor. "Sorry about that."
"S'Okay." Chad grunted as he got up. "Sounds like Breakfast."
"Yeah. I'm going to wait a few minutes." Winston laid back on the bed he had been given. "So, got any hobbies?"
"Cars, mostly. Currently trying to work on making the traps and pke meters smaller." Chad settled back down.
"Girlfriend?"
"Mm . . . not yet . . ."
"Why not?"
"Girl I like pays more attention to her job than me." Chad sighed. "Doesn't help that anytime I see her, I can barely get a sentence together, either."
"What's her name?"
" . . . It's Janice." Chad's dark skin hid his blush. "But she's always so focused, either on the occult or botany."
"Botany?"
"Plants, she likes them. Not so much flowers as plants themselves." Chad shifted, looking up. "She's nice though, always checks in on us. Once when Alan and Ed got hurt on a bust, she took care of them until help arrived."
"Why haven't you talked to her?"
"I can't think of anything to say, and when I do, I can't say it." Chad shifted.
"Well, you should probably try." Winston looked down. "I'd start by asking her questions about her plants. She'd probably tell you some technical stuff, but at least it's a conversation opener." Getting up, they entered the kitchen at the same time as Peter and Alan.
"Where's Egon?" Janine glanced at the table.
"He and Janice are in the library." Alan shook his head. "They're buried in a book. It's actually eerie how much they resemble each other." He held up a small device, with projected a picture up. It was Egon and Janice leaning over a book. It took a a second for them to see it was recording, because both of them adjusted their glasses at the same time.
"That is eerie." Peter got up.
"Where are you going?"
"To make sure Egon doesn't corrupt her into talking with big words that no one understands." Peter looked at them. "C'mon, I'm not the only one worried about that?"
"Worried about what Peter?" Egon came down the stairs, Janice just behind him and pulling on a jacket with the ghostbuster logo on the right shoulder.
"See you guys later." She picked up her purse.
"You're not staying for breakfast?"
"Can't." The rest of what she was going to say disappeared with the appearance of Slimer.
"PEETEER!" The little ghost slimed him.
"Slimer!" Peter scowled. "Where's a trap when you need one?" Egon and Ray kept him from doing something rash. Slimer didn't seem to mind.
"JANICE!!" The little ghost gave her a slimy smooch on the mouth. "Morning!"
"Morning Slimer." Janice grabbed a towel from the table to scrub her face. "Anyway, I'll see you later."
"What are you doing?"
"I've got to work on finding that missing page." She grabbed a bagel. "I'll be on my cell, kay?" She didn't pause, heading to the stairs.
"Be careful, you need to take it easy with your arm." Alan called out. "It's not throbbing is it?"
"Nah, it'll be fine." She waved it off. "Catch ya later."
"Why doesn't she live in the firehouse?"
"Beats me."
"Because I'm still in the process of moving in!" Janice's head poked back up the stairs. "I've got another month on my lease, and I'm still moving books here. I think I'll take the room off the library though."
"You heard that?"
"I have very good hearing." She glanced at them. "You wouldn't believe half of what I've heard."
"Uh." Chad glanced at Winston. "Janice, I could drive you in my car." He got up.
"If it wouldn't be a problem."
"No problem." Chad grabbed his keys.
Winston smirked as he glanced down at his food. He caught Peter's eye, who just shook his head.
In case you couldn't tell, I wanted a purely interactional chapter. There's going to be a couple more like it, but (in case you couldn't tell) The story will mainly be from Janice's point of view. Why? Because I have a habit of choosing one character and focusing on them through out the story, or throughout a chapter. I'm working on fixing that problem.