Well guys...it's finally come to an end for this story. I apologize for the final time on my irregular uploading schedule and I promise I'll try to be more consistent with the next Fanfiction I do. I want to thank you all for keeping up with me over this extended period of time and for the reviews and comments that you all contributed. I hope you enjoyed this journey as much as I did! :)
The Ghostbusters shoved their way into the dress shop they had been called to, careful not to cause too much noise to disturb whatever was lurking inside. Ray was the first to peek around the large clothing rack by the front door, waving his three colleagues forward as the next few aisles appeared to be clear.
"Where's the salesgirl who called us? Didn't the call come from this building?" Winston asked quietly as the Ghostbuster slowly advanced toward the back of the store, eyeing each passing aisle warily in search of the residing spirit. Egon shook his head thoughtfully as he studied the PKE meter wavering in front of him.
"Maybe the ghost attacked her and she fled, knowing we were on our way." Ray suggested quietly.
"It's not unlikely." Egon said under his breath. He looked at Ray who kept glancing over his shoulder cautiously.
"What's the matter, Ray? Afraid Little Stantz isn't gonna listen?" Peter joked lightly as he walked through the aisles of various dresses and outfits, his proton pack humming readily on his back. Ray threw Peter an annoyed glance.
"You know it's not unheard of." He replied bluntly.
"Shh! I hear something…" Egon interrupted them, holding his hand up for the group to stop. The four Ghostbusters instantly ceased their advance, listening intently. After a heart-stopping moment, the men were startled when a loud crash sounded against the back wall.
"Help! Somebody, please-!" A feminine voice cried out from the back corner of the store. The Ghostbusters leapt into action, rushing toward the young woman's terrified screams.
"Don't worry, miss! We're coming!" Ray called, slowing his jog through the aisles of multi-colored fabrics as boxes and articles of clothing flew up from the back wall of the dress shop.
"Woah…" Winston commented as he rounded the last aisle of clothing slightly ahead of the other three Ghostbusters.
"You got that right…" Peter muttered as he came to a halt at Winston's side, staring up at the scene in front of them.
The young girl was trapped in the corner of the building, her back pressed into the wall, and her shoulder inching into the rack of clothing by her side. In front of her stood a large dress stand, complete with a big bright blue ball gown that nearly blocked the girl from view.
"Are…you alright, ma'am?" Peter asked, an amused smirk on his face. The girl, not much more than a few years older than Nikki, swung her terrified gaze to the group of Ghostbusters.
"No! Get it away from me!" She protested, nodding toward the headless dress stand.
"The…dress?" Egon asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow over his meter. The girl straightened herself against the wall hesitantly and eyed the figure in front of her.
"It…it was moving a second ago…it wouldn't let me –"
Before she could finish her sentence, the ball gown thrust itself forward towards the poor girl, causing her to slam herself back against the wall with a surprised shriek.
"Woah…okay, we see what you mean now!" Winston exclaimed, drawing his proton thrower in anticipation as the dress stand whirled around at the approaching Ghostbuster.
"Easy…!" Egon exclaimed as Winston charged his thrower up at the jerking the dress stand. "You can't fire while she's trapped back there!"
"I know that, Egon!" Winston muttered under his breath as the dress bucked toward him once more. Winston kicked at the huge hoop of a skirt and the stand skittered back a few inches pulsating clearly with anger.
"Um, excuse me but I think you need to pay for that dress before you ruin it…" Peter quipped, staring at the dress on the dress stand wryly.
The salesgirl behind the figure stifled a soft laugh at Peter's comment and then she was shoved back against the wall as the dress jerked backwards toward her.
"Hey- hey! That's not very nice. A pretty dress like that should be loved and cared for…not thrown around like you're doing…" Peter said, reaching his hand out to touch the topmost layer of silky blue tool on the dress. The stand didn't move for a few seconds and the salesgirl watched Peter in disbelief as he carefully played with the fabric, keeping his movements slow and calming.
"Yeah…I know a girl who would probably like to have a dress like you…" Ray said, clearing his throat uncomfortably. The salesgirl glanced up at him and caught his eye as he waved her forward. She slowly creeped away from the rack of clothing and along the wall as Peter continued to speak to the possessed dress as if it were being worn by a living woman he was trying to flatter.
"See? No need for all that…" Peter said.
The dress slowly rose a few inches from the floor and Peter stepped back hesitantly, still holding a piece of the dress in his hand.
"No, no, no…we're good, we're all good here Cinderella…" Peter tried to coax the dress. The salesgirl stopped her movements, eyes wide as she stared at the dress stand steadily rising up from the floor.
"Move!" Ray shouted at the girl who blinked and then dove past the floating dress stand as it bucked against the wall angrily.
"Okay, the civilian's out of danger, can we please shoot it now?!" Winston asked eagerly. Peter had both hands clutching at the material of the gown tightly, preventing it from doing more than throwing itself into the wall repeatedly.
"No, you know the new drill!" Ray said. Peter clenched his jaw in frustration as he struggled to hang on to the skirt of the dress.
"Hurry!" Peter complained.
Ray smirked and turned over his shoulder, stepping past the clothing rack to shout down the aisle to the front of the dress shop.
"Okay, we're ready for you now!"
Nikki stood outside the dress shop, leaning against the large storefront window with boredom etched on her face. She was staring down at the small walkie-talkie in her hand that Ray had thrust into her grasp as the Ghostbusters had walked into the building not ten minutes ago. Absentmindedly she bit her lip in anticipation and Shawn frowned down at her worriedly.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Shawn asked gently. He touched her arm reassuringly and she smiled up at him, tucking a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, I just…need to get back into a routine. And if Dad's willing to let me tag along, then I'm happy doing that for now." She said quietly. She tugged at the collar of the Ghostbusters uniform she wore, one that was a little smaller than the one her father had loaned her before. Shawn also wore one, which made Nikki smile in amusement at the change it made in his appearance. The light beige color of the uniform was a sharp contrast to the dark clothing he usually wore.
"Then I guess it makes me happy that you're happy." Shawn said lightly. She glanced up at him, raising one eyebrow and then her face broke into a sheepish smile.
"Now that's a little cliché…" She said jokingly in reference to his flirting attempts during their first meeting in the coffee shop weeks ago. Shawn nudged her with a smirk and glanced down at the radio in Nikki's hand, then looked back questioning at the shop's front door.
"Think something's gone wrong? They've been in there for a little while." Shawn commented anxiously. Nikki feigned rolling her eyes and leaned back against the storefront window after glancing disinterestedly through the door.
"He said he'd radio if he needed us. Better not go against his wishes and ruin my privileges this early in the game. He's just starting to trust me again, I think. After the…well." She quipped. Shawn pursed his lips as he glanced down at her wrists, the still darkened bruises on her skin from that fateful night peeking out from underneath the sleeves of her Ghostbusters uniform.
"Yeah." Shawn said thoughtfully. Nikki seemed to realize where his gaze had rested and she fiddled with her sleeves nervously, turning back to look through the window behind her. She was relieved to hear a loud shout from inside the building and as she peered through the glass, she could see her father waving her in. She glanced back at Shawn and offered him a quick smile.
"Come on," She said as she swung herself around and pulled open the dress shop's front door.
Nikki entered the building with her heart hammering excitedly and she quickly caught sight of her father standing at the end of the aisle across from her. She rolled her eyes and briskly walked toward him, Shawn following close behind.
"I thought you gave me this walkie-talkie for a reason." She said, her voice unusually loud in the silent store. Ray's eyes went frantic as he glanced to his side at something she couldn't see yet. Then he turned back to her and shrugged apologetically as she finally reached his side.
"I wasn't sure if you had actually listened and stayed outside. I figured yelling would get your attention whether you were inside or out." Ray said. Nikki shook her head in amusement and then froze in confusion as her gaze fell on the spook the Ghostbusters were currently attempting to apprehend.
Peter stood holding onto the end of a huge blue dress that appeared to be struggling against his hold. A young woman stood over by Egon's side, watching the dress stand with fear in her eyes. Winston stood close behind Peter, training his thrower on the flailing dress.
"Little Stantz…I'd appreciate it if you'd hurry up and do your thing!" Peter said, spinning the dress stand around to where he could face her. Nikki stepped back in surprise as the mannequin-like figure jerked toward her in an attempt to escape Peter's hold, and Nikki put both of her hands up to steady the possessing ghost.
"Okay…um…hi…" Nikki said hesitantly. The dress struggled against Peter's hold as it tried to throw itself at Nikki angrily.
"What do you see, Nikki? Anything different?" Egon called out calmly, as usual overlooking the scene with his PKE meter. Nikki shook her head, as she tried to keep herself calm in front of the possessed dress stand.
"No…it's trying to hide from me, I think." She murmured, her eyebrows pressed together thoughtfully. The dress seemed to hesitate for a moment and Nikki slowly stepped toward it.
"What is she doing?" The salesgirl asked in confusion, looking at the other Ghostbusters and Shawn for an answer.
"Just watch…" Winston said with a slight smirk, keeping his thrower ready in case the dress stand broke free.
"Yeah, she's something else." Shawn said quietly, crossing his arms across his chest as he watched Nikki's approach. The salesgirl glanced up at Shawn where he stood slightly behind Nikki at Ray's side, a small smile playing on his face.
Nikki ignored the voices behind her and she carefully met Peter's gaze from around the dress. His hands were still buried in the fabric and as Nikki slowly nodded, he released his hold. The dress stand floated slowly down to the ground in front of Nikki and before her eyes the shadowy silhouette of a girl's arms and upper body filled in the space above the collar of the dress. Her hair was an almost blonde color and her skin was unblemished ivory. Her eyes were bright blue, reflected nicely by the deep blue dress that covered the rest of her body. Nikki smiled at the girl's skeptical gaze.
"We're not going to hurt you. At least…not unless you mess this up." Nikki said lightly.
The ghost's eyes narrowed slightly and she looked up at each of the other surrounding people before glancing back at Nikki wordlessly.
"What are you doing here?" Nikki asked, resorting to the usual checklist of questions she had when the ghost wouldn't speak to her willingly.
The girl tore her gaze away from Nikki, clenching her jaw as she touched the fabric of the dress's skirt by her side. Nikki nodded thoughtfully and glanced at the salesgirl whose eyes were wide with confusion.
"You…like the dress?" Nikki guessed. The ghost raised her bright blue eyes to Nikki coldly and pursed her lips ironically.
"That was my guess." Peter shrugged, still standing behind the dress stand casually. The ghost turned slightly over her shoulder to throw an agitated glance at the Ghostbuster, invisible to everyone else except Nikki.
"I mean, it is a nice dress. I don't blame you for wanting to try it on…" Nikki said, drawing the ghost's attention back to her.
"It took my aunt over a year to get it finally made…from drawing the design to actually putting it together, I mean…" The salesgirl's voice piped up quietly. The ghost instantly leapt forward but Nikki stopped her, shielding the dress stand from flying across the room at the poor girl.
"You have something against her?" Nikki asked the ghost, nodding back at the salesgirl who was now hiding behind Egon. The ghost's eyes didn't leave the girl's face as she finally spoke.
"This was my mother's shop. And this girl here thinks she can just take my place now that I'm gone!" The ghost's voice echoed throughout the shop, heard only by Nikki's ears.
"Your…your time is over here. It's probably been years since your mother owned this place." Nikki said to the ghost gently. The salesgirl looked at Nikki worriedly and then nodded, flicking her gaze back to the dress stand as the ghost took a step back away from Nikki.
The ghost's face was hard as she stared at Nikki in disbelief. Nikki offered her a sad smile and raised her hand toward the ghost.
"Let me help you." Nikki said softly. The ghost girl studied Nikki's outstretched hand for a moment before meeting her eyes. She slowly reached out her pale hand and grabbed Nikki's wrist, levitating them both into the air.
"Is…that supposed to happen?" The salesgirl asked hurriedly.
"Nope." Ray said, wincing as he made himself wait unsurely as Nikki tried to handle the situation. Just for good measure, he drew his thrower and charged it up, along with Winston who shot his colleague an impatient glance.
"Nikki, you good?" Winston called, shifting his feet nervously. Nikki scrunched her face up in pain as she shook her head quickly, grabbing onto her wrist with her free hand as her arm was strained by the ghost's supernaturally strong hold.
"That's – still sore - !" Nikki cried out in pain as she kicked against the ghost's legs, hitting the metal frame of the dress stand. The ghost released her hold on Nikki's still bruised wrist with an amused glare and Nikki tumbled to the floor of the dress shop. Shawn rushed to her side and Nikki gasped for air as the breath was knocked out of her from the fall. Her eyes widened and she shoved Shawn away from her as the ghost lunged down toward her.
"Hold on, kids!" Peter called as he dove toward the dress, grabbing onto the skirt as he tackled it to the ground. Nikki could see the ghost girl's furious expression as she struggled against the Ghostbuster's hold once more.
"So that's your final choice, then?" Nikki asked, meeting the ghost's blue gaze. The ghost shoved herself free from Peter's hold and floated upright once more above the group of people. Nikki stared up at the ghost from where she still sat back against her elbows on the floor and then she slowly looked to her side and nodded up at Ray.
"Alright, boys." Ray said lowly as Shawn quickly helped Nikki up from the ground and pulled her out of the way. The Ghostbusters' proton streams lit up the back corner of the dress shop and the ghost's angered cries echoed throughout the shop as Nikki turned and headed back toward the front of the store accompanied by Shawn who had his arm wrapped around her shoulders reassuringly.
"You can't save them all, Nikki." Shawn said softly once they had stepped outside into the cold afternoon air.
"I know." She replied, holding his hand to steady herself. She blinked slowly and then nodded to herself, pausing to raise her gaze back to his. "But…at least I saved you."
Shawn smiled down at her as he pulled her into a reassuring hug, stooping to her height as she wrapped her arms around his torso. A crash sounded from inside the building and a bright flash of purple caused Nikki to pull away from him slightly to look around at the Ghostbusters' commotion inside. Shawn quickly turned her face away from the trap's brightness reflecting through the shop windows and pulled her into a kiss. She frowned in surprise and then relaxed against him, clutching at the collar of his Ghostbusters uniform as their kiss deepened. When they finally pulled apart, Nikki's cheeks were bright pink as she looked up at Shawn excitedly.
"…Thank you." Shawn murmured with a small smirk. Nikki blinked up at him with her smiling brown eyes.
"Thank you." She replied softly. Her smile widened and she stood on her tiptoes for another kiss before hesitating as her gaze rested on something over his shoulder. Shawn caught the change in her, instantly alert.
"What is it?"
Nikki's eyes saddened as she stared past him for a moment before she looked back at him levelly. She smiled ironically and shrugged out of his grasp.
"I think there is someone else here that I can help today." She said gently, taking his hand once more as she led him a little ways down the street, weaving through the slight crowd of New Yorkers. Shawn silently followed Nikki, scanning the crowd for the ghost that he knew Nikki had spotted, but as they came to a halt against another storefront, the ghost woman was unseen by his eyes.
"You…you came back."
Nikki smiled at the bruised and disheveled looking woman and nodded at her double meaning. The girl raised her hand out toward the ghost woman, her gaze unwavering as the woman eagerly reached out to touch it.
"I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten you." Nikki said gently. The woman's eyes filled with tears and she fluidly lunged toward the girl and swept her into a motherly hug. Nikki stiffened slightly at the rush of energy rushing through her but her own eyes blurred with emotion as the woman slowly faded from sight.
"…Nikki?"
Shawn's voice sounded unnaturally loud to her after what felt like several minutes and Nikki found that she was clutching her arms to herself as if she were freezing. She blinked hurriedly to clear the tears that ran down her cheeks and she smiled as Shawn wrapped his arm protectively around her.
"I'm alright." She murmured, leaning into his chest as he turned and led them back toward the dress shop down the block where the Ghostbusters were emerging having victoriously captured the hostile ghost girl.
"I know you are."
He kissed the top of her head and Ray smiled warmly at their approach, a knowing look in his eye as Nikki stumbled slightly against Shawn's strong hold. She threw her father a weak but spiteful smirk and he playfully ruffled her hair as she walked past him and toward the waiting vehicle by the curb. Together, all of the Ghostbusters piled into the Ecto-1 and headed back to the firehouse to face the next set of ghosts and spirits that would come across their path.
The End?