The next morning, Ray and Egon came downstairs and heard the sound of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" being played loudly over a radio. They found Abby busy at their work area on the second floor. Dana Barrett was sitting across the table on a stool, looking fascinated as Abby worked one handed.

"Dana," greeted Ray.

"Ray. Egon," she nodded in greeting, smiling at the two men.

"What is going on?" asked Egon.

"Your friend here has been busy," said Dana. "And keeping me entertained. I've watched you all work before, but never alone and one handed."

"It would help if I could flex my fingers a little bit more fully," Abby said, wiggling them as she held onto the glove she was working on with her injured hand to steady it. She saw Ray reaching for the Giga meter.

"Don't bother, I've been keeping an eye on it. I'm still rising," she said. "No matter what I do. I've been trying a few things, but so far nothing has helped."

"Welcome back Dr. Yates," said Egon with a smile.

"I've got to do something," she said. "Or I'm going to go nuts waiting on you four." Ray snorted at that.

"Just make sure to take it easy Abby. You're not even remotely near being fully healed."

"Only when I know if I can make it home or not," she said. "Or if I really am alive."

"You are breathing, your heart is beating, and you feel pain," said Egon. "All qualifications for a living human."

"Definite on the pain," said Abby. "I had to take two of the pain pills already to deal with it all."

Ah, narcotics," said Dana. "Now there is a sign that you are human." She got up from her seat.

"And boys, do take care of her. I'm getting Abby and Janine tickets to come see the Symphony on Friday. A girl's night out."

"Uh, Dana," began Ray. "Perhaps that is not the best of ideas..."

"She'll be fine Ray," said Dana. "Besides, at some point she needs to start living here."

Egon and Ray shared a disheartening look.

"Is there something going on?" said Dana, frowning.

"What they're trying not to say is that they're not sure if I'll still be alive in this universe by Friday if I don't stop collecting psychokinetic energy around me," stated Abby. Dana glanced over to Egon and Ray, who looked sheepish.

"She opens portals to the netherworld," said Ray, grimacing. "Kind of a hazard."

"Is there nothing you can do to help?" asked Dana to Egon.

"We're trying," he said. "But this is way beyond something we can control."

Dana looked to Abby, who shrugged. She could sympathize with them. She couldn't come up with any ideas either, except to get out of this universe. It would be the only safe way of doing it. She had pulled apart her proton glove and had built another one from scratch using bits and pieces she could find around the firehouse. She wasn't Holtz, but she could make it on her own. She was going to need it.

Though if she ever made it back to her universe, she was challenging Holtzmann to a one handed building contest. Now that would be fun.

Dana said goodbye to the three of them, leaving them in silence. The radio started playing a Nirvana song and she automatically missed the Foo Fighters. She wouldn't get to hear "Learn to Fly" till 1999. 8 years seemed like a long time. She sighed, looking down at the glove.

Would she even want to stay here? It... really wasn't like she had anything in this New York. She didn't have a home or a job... She had friends she supposed. That was something. Egon had assured her that she would always have a place there with the team... but she had to think about the future. She knew little Abby. If she had ever heard of the Ghostbusters, she would come looking for them and she would want to work with them. She had to admit, she would definitely be jealous of little Abby if she did. Mainly because she would have little Erin in tow. And maybe they would meet little Holtzmann and little Patty. Maybe they would be a secondary team to the original Ghostbusters. The thought was rather bittersweet. She wanted her team back. She wanted her friends back.

And she was going to do it. Or die (again) trying. The hell with the Guardians.

"You know, I've noticed," said Abby, flipping a screwdriver in her hand. "You've all got your roles here. Peter is the lovable but sometimes annoying King. Janine is more or less your commanding queen. Ray, you are the knight with the heart of gold. Winston the Wise. Egon is a wizard. Your Rookie- whatever his name is - is a loyal squire."

"If you want to think about it in terms of fairy tales, then sure," said Ray. "We fit those roles. Peter has always been our lead. We'd follow him into battle."

"Or rather, we wait for him to catch up," mused Egon.

"See? Exactly," said Abby.

"You trying to think how you'd fit in with our team?" asked Ray.

Abby hadn't really thought about it, so she shrugged. "I suppose."

"I would think that would be fairly obvious," said Ray. He looked slightly amused. "The Damsel in Distress with the Royal Knights to the rescue."

Abby let out a little squeak, reddening as she nearly dropped the screwdriver.

"I'm not in distress," she said, trying not to let her voice crack.

"Well, no," said Egon. "But you are injured." He pointed to her wrist and side. "Other than that, we do believe you can take care of yourself." Ray nodded.

"And since Peter has basically proclaimed to the Guardians that you're under our care, you're pretty much the Protected Princess."

"And somewhere my feminism is dying a horrible, painful death," said Abby with a sigh.

"No need," said Ray. He came over and picked up the proton glove.

"You built this already today? I'd say that's not much of a sign of a damsel in distress."

"I took the old one apart and put it back together again so I could remember how Holtz built it." She picked up the old one and handed it to Ray. She took up the new one.

"You can keep that one. I only need this one." She paused. "And thanks for the jacket." She put it on over one arm and headed for the stairs up.

"I think I just lost my favorite jacket," whimpered Ray. Egon patted him on the shoulder.

"But you gained a proton glove that shoots proton bursts like the Boson darts."

They heard a rumbling in the distance. Ray and Egon sighed together and ran up to the roof.

"I didn't do it," yelled Abby as they got top side. She pointed off into the distance.

"No, no, it's the Guardians probably," said Ray, defeated, "Egon?" He looked over to his friend and business partner.

"Yes, Ray?"

"When was the last time you saw a snowman 115 foot tall?"

"March?"

"Got a blowtorch?" asked Abby, a small smirk on her face.

"None that big," said Ray staring up at the snowman as it rampaged on the bank of the Hudson.

"We should hurry up and get down to the river," said Egon. "Before he does too much damage." The two men ran towards the stairs down, and Abby soon followed. Winston and Peter had already suited up by the time she got downstairs. Her own things were still upstairs, but she knew what both Peter and Ray were going to say already. She waited by Janine's desk.

"Now Abby..." said Ray. Abby had her arms crossed, which wasn't hard considering one of them was already in a sling. She looked over and nearly laughed when she saw Janine doing the same thing. Abby pushed her glasses down like the Ghostbusters secretary.

"They're starting to look alike already, god help us," said Ray.

"Women. They congregate and make a mess out of things," scoffed Peter.

"Just get out of here already," said Janine. The men started piling into the Ecto-1 (with the hood having been pounded out of its dents) and headed out. Abby uncrossed her arms after they left.

"You up for a field trip?" she asked Janine.

"Where are we going?"

"I need things," sighed Abby, hating to have to lie again. "And if I ended up staying here much longer, I'm going to need my own apartment. Know of any thrift stores nearby where we could start looking? Think maybe they'd take a twenty dollar bill printed in 2003 without asking too many questions?"

"I'm sure Ray and Egon wouldn't mind if you stayed here with them," said Janine. She eyed Ray's jacket.

"Especially Ray."

"I need to get out of here for a few minutes," said Abby. "Do you think they'll mind if you take off?"

"Them? Please," said Janine. "We've got an answering machine and there's a large snowman rampaging. I don't think anybody's going to be come calling."